Japan-Turkmenistan Relations
Japan-Turkmenistan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
January 23, 2024
On January 23, commencing at 3:00 p.m. for approximately 45 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Rashid MEREDOV, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, who is visiting Japan, and signed the Cooperation Program between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan for 2024-2026. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa welcomed Deputy Chairman and Foreign Minister Meredov’s visit to Japan in nearly a year and expressed her gratitude for Turkmenistan's message of sympathy for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
- Regarding bilateral relations, Minister Kamikawa stated that Turkmenistan is an important partner in terms of both the natural resource business and decarbonization, and that she would like to strengthen economic relations in various fields. In this regard, she stated that Japanese companies have been supporting Turkmenistan's industrial diversification through large-scale projects such as natural gas processing, and that she would like to cooperate in the field of energy transition. Minister Kamikawa also welcomed the positive movements, such as the agreement in principle of the Tax Convention and the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries on cooperation in the field of decarbonization.
- In response, Deputy Chairman and Foreign Minister Meredov renewed his condolences for the loss of lives in the Noto Peninsula earthquake, highly appreciated the past cooperation with Japan in a wide range of fields and expressed his expectations for further strengthening bilateral relations and ties between Central Asia and Japan, including in the area of decarbonization.
- Both sides confirmed that they will continue to coordinate for the holding the summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue. They also had a candid exchange of views on regional and international situations, including Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as cooperation in the United Nations, and concurred to continue to work closely together in various fields.