Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Tangryguly Atahallyyev, Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, together with H.E. Charyyar Chetiyev, Minister for Agriculture, and H.E. Charygeldi Babanyyazov, Minister for Environmental Protection

Ashgabat – During an official two-day visit to Turkmenistan, the FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu, met with H.E. Tangryguly Atahallyyev, Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. The meeting was also attended by H.E. Charyyar Chetiyev, Minister for Agriculture, and H.E. Charygeldi Babanyyazov, Minister for Environmental Protection. The discussions focused on strengthening FAO–Turkmenistan cooperation and advancing joint priorities in agrifood systems transformation, climate action and institutional development.

The Director-General welcomed the Government’s support for the establishment of an FAO Country Representation, noting that the Host Country Agreement had been signed earlier that day, and emphasized that it would significantly strengthen FAO’s operational presence and engagement in the country. The meeting also addressed the preparation of the FAO–Turkmenistan Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2026–2030, aimed at scaling cooperation across agriculture, environment and health sectors.

The Director-General highlighted the importance of policy coherence to ensure safe food production, climate-smart agricultural practices, and improved nutrition outcomes. FAO acknowledged the Government’s sustained support for digital agriculture and land governance, including progress on the digital land cadaster, and the modernization of crop monitoring systems using remote sensing technologies. The Director-General also referred to the recently established Global Partnership on Transboundary Animal Diseases and invited Turkmenistan to join.

The discussions also covered climate finance, and Turkmenistan’s regional leadership role, particularly in the context of landlocked developing countries. The Director-General encouraged continued engagement in regional and global fora and looked forward to the upcoming 35th FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Europe, to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from 11 to 15 May 2026.