The first meeting in Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-USA format was held in a video conference format on Oct 8, 2020.
According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry’s press release, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Mohammad Haneef Atmar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale took part in the trilateral talks.
During the meeting, the parties discussed a number of important issues in political, trade-economic and humanitarian spheres.
One of the main topics of the meeting was the advancement of intra-Afghan negotiations aimed at ending the long-term conflict and establishment of peace in the region. To this end, in accordance with the principles of the country’s neutrality, Turkmenistan is ready to provide its political space for the next rounds of intra-Afghan negotiations, Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
The parties also considered the opportunities for the development of trade relations between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, the U.S. and the Central Asian region by increasing the efficiency of customs and other procedures in accordance with the existing U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
The diplomats discussed the opportunities for joint implementation of infrastructural projects, including such energy projects as TAPI and TAP.
The opportunities for humanitarian collaboration were also considered, including the coordination of actions on countering the current pandemic and crises in the area of public healthcare.