During a working visit to the Republic of Turkmenistan from 12 to 16 June 2023, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov met with representatives of the national and regional authorities. The visit included meetings with high-level officials in Ashgabat and the Dashoguz region and presented an opportunity to further intensify the ongoing co-operation between the Republic of Turkmenistan and the OSCE HCNM in areas of education and integration of society.
High Commissioner Abdrakhmanov had fruitful discussions with the Chairperson of the Mejlis Dunyagozel Gulmanova, the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov, the Minister of Education Gurbangul Atayeva, Ombudsperson Yazdursun Gurbannazarova, the Hyakim (Governor) of Dashoguz velayat (region) Nazarmyrat Nazarmyradov and other high-level officials.
It was observed that co-operation between the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and the authorities of Turkmenistan has reached a new level, with education as one of the main priority areas. The relevant parties agreed to continue working on the implementation of the Memorandum of Co-operation between the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the OSCE HCNM, as well as within the framework of the National Human Rights Action Plan in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025.
On 15 June, a roundtable on "Good practices of the OSCE participating States in promoting the effective participation of national minorities in public life, including consultative mechanisms" was co-hosted by the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Government of Turkmenistan, and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. It attracted a number of participants from the relevant authorities and academia of Turkmenistan. During his presentation, Abdrakhmanov recommended two sets of HCNM Guidelines and Recommendations: The Ljubljana Guidelines on Integration of Diverse Societies and The Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life. Both offer a useful roadmap for policymakers and educationalists.
International experts from Estonia and Lithuania who were present at the roundtable shared existing practices of the OSCE participating States in creating a consultative mechanism for national minorities to enhance the integration process in diverse societies.
