On February 24, 2025, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the delegation headed by UN Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States Fatima Rabab, who arrived in Ashgabat for the first time.
During the meeting, the parties noted the constructive and long-standing experience of strategic cooperation of Turkmenistan with the United Nations and its specialized institutions on a wide range of vectors.
Emphasizing the importance of continuing close partnership, the sides thoroughly discussed the joint activities planned for this year, declared by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Peace and Trust at the initiative of Turkmenistan.
In particular, the sides discussed preparations for the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC 3) scheduled to be held in Turkmenistan in the second half of this year.
The sides reaffirmed the importance of this global scale event and exchanged detailed views on the Conference agenda, protocol and organizational issues, including the preparation of drafts of the Outcome and other documents.
The interlocutors expressed confidence that the Conference will create an effective platform for concrete actions in the field of sustainable development, environmental and food security, through improved transport and digital connectivity, unfolding the trade and economic potential of the world countries, which is coherence with the national and foreign policy priorities of Turkmenistan.
It is important to note that the 32 landlocked developing countries with a population of more than 500 million share common challenges related to their geographical location, which impacts their economic ties with the rest of the world.
