ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

On 21 May, SRSG Natalia Gherman met with H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia. Minister Lajčák was visiting the Central Asian countries also in his capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE.

The sides praised the new level of regional cooperation and the efforts of the Central Asian countries to combat transnational threats to security and stability in the region. SRSG Gherman informed Minister Lajčák on the UNRCCA’s role to support the regional partners in implementing the Joint Plan of Actions in the framework of the Global Counter-terrorism Strategy. Head of UNRCCA also raised the importance of multilateral partnerships in assisting the Central Asian states in the fields of water management and mitigating the consequences of the climate change. SRSG expressed her appreciation of the current level of cooperation between the UN and the OSCE in the region, manifested in joint planning and implementation of activities on the ground. One such area is the focus on the young people, whereby the new Youth Initiative launched by the UNRCCA in 2019 could be a useful platform.

Minister Lajčák welcomed the opportunity to expand the areas of mutually reinforcing interaction, mentioning the OSCE field presences in all five countries of the region, that could be useful assets for implementing also the United Nations projects and programs. It was highlighted that the Organization has a very good record of collaborating with Central Asian states for almost two decades, contributing to ensuring peace and sustainable development.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office stressed that he has managed to visit all Central Asian states in the first half of his yearly mandate and that the Slovak Chairmanship will continue to promote a dynamic cooperation with the region at all levels.