WNAM MONITORING: Turkmenistan has proposed beginning work to study the possibility of joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2017. The proposal was made by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov at a government meeting on Friday, according to Turkmenistan’s official media.
The treaty, which entered into force in 2021, aims to completely ban the development, testing, production, possession, and use of nuclear weapons. To date, 94 countries have joined the agreement.
Meredov noted that strengthening cooperation with international bodies on global security issues, including nuclear nonproliferation, is a key direction of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy as a neutral country.
As part of expanding partnerships, it was proposed to hold a regional seminar in Ashgabat in 2026 in cooperation with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
Other initiatives include modernizing the seismological station of the International Monitoring System located in Turkmenistan and expanding cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as providing domestic agencies access to data from the global monitoring system.
President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov supported the proposals, emphasizing that enhancing cooperation with international organizations on security matters remains a top priority for the country’s foreign policy. He instructed the foreign minister to carry out the necessary work to implement the outlined initiatives.
