As is known, on the instructions of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the delegation of Turkmenistan took part in the World Government Summit held in Dubai (UAE) on February 11–14. This large-scale forum brought together representatives from more than 120 countries, over 80 international organizations, as well as large companies.

According to the agenda, six main issues were worked out relating to such aspects as reform and efficiency of public administration, artificial intelligence, the economy of the future, society and education of the future, sustainability and new global actions, priority areas of urbanization and healthcare.

During the Summit, our delegation voiced three issues that are proposed to be resolved on the basis of global approaches based on the international initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan.

Thus, it was proposed to create a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity. This will be a practical continuation of the Ashgabat process, which began at the first Global Conference on Sustainable Transport, held in the Turkmen capital in November 2016. This proposal is aimed at developing mutually agreed actions based on multilateral partnerships, an open database and analytics in the above-mentioned area.

As noted in the speech at the “Effective Policy” session, in modern conditions, more than ever, it is necessary to make far-sighted decisions aimed at ensuring stability and sustainability, overcoming new serious challenges and threats. At the same time, emphasis was placed on the fact that Turkmenistan, as a responsible member of the world community, clearly formulates and implements its approaches and actions, outlining priorities according to which the contribution of our country is designed to contribute to the speedy achievement of universal goals.

In this context, transport connectivity and sustainability were highlighted as key factors. It was emphasized that in the context of global economic transformation, the development of sustainable transport systems, logistics connectivity, and the formation of a reliable transport and communication infrastructure at the global level are of particular importance.

In recent years, the international dialogue on this issue has noticeably intensified at the United Nations. At the same time, it was stated that, at the initiative of Turkmenistan, six resolutions of the UN General Assembly in the field of sustainable transport were adopted.

Regarding the new proposal of our country, voiced at the above-mentioned World Government Summit, in particular, on the creation of a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity, it was emphasized that its main elements should include:

– multi-stakeholder partnerships involving governments, international organizations, research institutions, the private sector and civil society to identify and implement a clear sequence of long-term joint practical steps;

– an open data platform that facilitates the exchange of critical information across multiple sources;

– constant analysis of information and development on its basis of mutually agreed decisions at the intergovernmental level.

In this regard, it should be noted that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the implementation of large-scale projects for the modernization and comprehensive development of transport infrastructure in order to accelerate the development of the national economy. Large-scale work is being carried out to reconstruct the country’s road networks, in addition to existing ones, issues of constructing new highways are being studied, and the creation of international transport corridors North-South and East-West is in full swing.

It is from this point of view that the initiatives of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to create an extensive and, no less important, safe international transport infrastructure received support from the world community. Indicative in this context is the active interaction of our state with the United Nations.

As is known, on May 16, 2023, at the 70th plenary meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, at the initiative of Turkmenistan and with the unanimous support of the member states of the Community of Nations, a Resolution was adopted declaring November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day. It was on this day in 2016 that the first UN Global Conference on Sustainable Transport was held in Ashgabat.

It is important to note that, at the proposal of Turkmenistan, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted relevant resolutions in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021, designed to give cooperation in the transport sector a qualitatively new impetus.

The initiatives of the head of Turkmenistan to hold a high-level meeting within the framework of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on the occasion of World Sustainable Transport Day, as well as to create Joint transport and logistics centers are aimed at bringing productive partnership in this area to new levels. Unanimous support for the proposal to hold the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in our country in 2024 is another success of the Fatherland achieved in the transport sector.

The Turkmen state advocates close interaction with specialized structures of the United Nations, primarily the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for the Asia-Pacific Region (ESCAP). Such constructive, mutually beneficial cooperation corresponds to the logic of the modern development of Central Asia - a region with enormous natural resources and an advantageous location - at the junction of the main routes of the Eurasian space.

Expanding international partnerships in the transport and communications sector is one of the priority aspects of the policy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Industry-related forums held in our country are also aimed at intensifying interaction in this area.

At the above-mentioned World Government Summit, it was also proposed to create an Alliance for cooperation in the field of global energy security and sustainable development. The main principle of the partnership within its framework should be the indivisibility and interconnectedness of goals to ensure access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for everyone.

In this regard, emphasis was placed on the need to consolidate efforts to solve such problems as:

– creation of a new international platform for cooperation between governments, energy companies and financial institutions;

– ensuring the exchange of best practices in energy risk management; development of effective tools for solving global and regional disruptions in energy supplies;

– promoting joint investments in strategic energy infrastructure projects of international importance; promoting the formation of transparent and competitive energy markets.

Possessing the richest hydrocarbon deposits, our Fatherland strives to establish business contacts with leading oil and gas companies and reputable financial structures, as well as to significantly expand the geography of energy supplies.

Turkmenistan pays special attention to the creation of a new energy security architecture that meets the conditions and requirements of the time. In this context, the country attaches significant importance to energy efficiency, the introduction of energy-saving technologies, the use and development of renewable energy sources, as well as cooperation with all stakeholders.

Achieving high rates of development of the fuel and energy complex is the foundation for accelerated industrial and innovative growth of the country’s economy and confirmation of Turkmenistan’s strong status as one of the leaders in the international energy community.

A clear indication of this is the data announced at the extended meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on February 9, at which the results of the work of sectors of the national economy for 2023 were summed up. Thus, in the fuel and energy sector, the plan for oil refining was fulfilled at the level of 100.6 percent, gasoline production - by 102 percent, diesel fuel - by 102.2 percent, petroleum bitumen - by 199 percent, lubricating oils - by 105.8 percent, liquefied gas – by 115.7 percent.

As was reported, the implementation of the plan for the production of natural and associated gas amounted to 106.9 percent, and for the export of “blue fuel” - 112.6 percent.

Noting that the oil and gas sector is one of the key sectors of the national economy, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov instructed to continue to ensure a reliable supply of natural gas to domestic and foreign consumers. At the same time, emphasis was placed on the need for phased industrial development of the Galkynyş gas field, attracting foreign companies to the exploration and development of the Caspian Sea shelf. The head of state also ordered to keep the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline in the spotlight.

A number of pressing tasks were identified: carrying out appropriate work on existing fields to increase oil production volumes; increasing the production capacity of the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries and the Seydi oil refinery with the creation of new high-tech production facilities.

The fuel and energy complex faces large-scale tasks, where great importance is attached to carrying out prospecting and exploration work in order to identify new rich deposits, increase the volume of production and processing of hydrocarbons, and create various routes for the delivery of Turkmen energy resources.