A briefing dedicated to the results of the 15th Summit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation was held in the capital's hotel with a business center "Garagum". The event, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the ECO Secretary General, heads of the diplomatic corps of the ECO member states and a number of other foreign countries, missions of authoritative international organizations accredited in Turkmenistan, as well as representatives of national and foreign media.

Before the start of the briefing, a ceremony was held to honor the representative of Turkmenistan, who was awarded a special award from the Organization for Economic Cooperation. In accordance with the decision of the 15th ECO Summit, held yesterday in Ashgabat, "History, Culture, Literature and Fine Arts" category award was awarded to the chief researcher of the Institute of Language, Literature and National Manuscripts named after Magtymguly of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, Dr. Y. Orazgylydzhov.

The honorary award of this Organization was solemnly presented to the representative of Turkmenistan by the ECO Secretary General Khusrav Noziri.

The Turkmen scientist, who was awarded a special ECO award, expressed gratitude to the Organizing Committee of the Organization for the high assessment of his scientific activities. Thanks to the constant attention paid by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the field of science, today all conditions are created in the country for its development, for the participation of domestic scientists in international competitions. The recipient, on his own behalf and on behalf of his colleagues, expressed his sincere gratitude to the leader of the nation for his great care for the representatives of science and assured that he would apply all his knowledge to successfully accomplish the tasks set for further prosperity of the Fatherland.

Then a briefing took place, at which the results of the 15th Summit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation were highlighted.

Commenting on the main decisions taken at the high-level meeting, the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of the Ashgabat Forum, the significance of which goes far beyond the interests of the participating countries, and is capable, in terms of the scale and level of decisions taken, to have a long-term constructive impact on the whole geo-economic picture on the continent, to attract the attention of other states, international economic associations, and financial institutions interested in cooperation and partnership in this part of the globe.

The important decisions taken include strengthening cooperation between ECO countries in the fight against COVID-19, overcoming the consequences of the pandemic for the regional economy, in particular, through the exchange of information in the field of prevention and vaccination.

An agreement was also reached on encouraging micro - small and medium-sized enterprises as an important factor in economic growth and partnership, creating new jobs, and solving social problems.

In the process of considering the issues of industrial cooperation, the ministries and officials of the ECO states were instructed to start developing a "Roadmap", including specific steps and activities based on the complementarity of the economies and production capacities of our countries.

In continuation of the speech, emphasis was placed on important decisions and agreements on cooperation in the field of food security, joint fight against drug trafficking, other types of transnational organized crime, financing of terrorism, and cybercrime.

At the end of his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan expressed confidence that the agreements and decisions reached at the 15th Ashgabat Summit would give a powerful innovative and high-quality impetus to cooperation, consistency and specificity, create prerequisites for accelerated integration both in the space of the Economic Cooperation Organization and and in the context of interregional and continental processes.

During the briefing, the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation noted that the organisation of the 15th Summit in Ashgabat on the Day of the ECO formation is deeply symbolic and further increases its historical significance. In continuation, Khusrav Noziri expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for ensuring a high organizational level of the forum under the chairmanship of Turkmenistan and for its successful holding.

The Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan, who then spoke, congratulated President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the participants of the ECO Summit on its successful organisation. This is a clear confirmation that Turkmenistan has accumulated positive experience in organizing major international fora.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan, speaking about the successful holding of the 15th ECO Summit, expressed confidence that the decisions made in its course would give a powerful impetus to the comprehensive development of cooperation between the member countries of the Organization.

Then the floor was given to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan, who noted that relations between our countries, linked by a common history, traditions and culture, have reached a qualitatively new level today.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Turkmenistan cordially congratulated President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the successful holding of the 15th ECO Summit under the chairmanship of Turkmenistan.

Then the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to our country made a speech, expressing gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan for high organizational level of the ECO Summit and noted its successful holding.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to our country congratulated President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the participants of the 15th ECO Summit on its successful holding.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to our country congratulated everyone on the holding of the 15th ECO Summit in Turkmenistan at a high organizational level.

The US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkmenistan congratulated President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the successful holding of the large-scale forum.

Then the head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalya German gave a speech, congratulating the host on the successful holding of the 15th ECO Summit and the chairmanship of Turkmenistan in this Organization.

The head of the OSCE Center in our country, John McGregor, congratulating the President of Turkmenistan on the successful holding of the 15th ECO Summit, noted that the development of relations between the ECO member countries determines their economic growth, increase in labor productivity, implementation of promising projects, and participation of relevant structures in them.

At the end of the meeting, the participants emphasized that November 28, 2021 was an important milestone in the development of international cooperation. The adoption of the Ashgabat Consensus for Action following the Summit will contribute to the diversification of interaction between the ECO member states, ensuring general security and stability. The holding of the forum in the Turkmen capital was another clear confirmation of the steadily growing authority of Turkmenistan in the world arena and general support for the constructive initiatives of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.