In Ashgabat, a meeting was held between the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Envoy and the CSOs

Yesterday, September 8, 2025, as part of her official visit to Turkmenistan, Ambassador Ms.Terhi Hakala, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Envoy (Finland), met with representatives of non-governmental organizations at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. The organizations included: “Nature Preserving Society of Turkmenistan,” “Tebigy Kuwwat,” “Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan,” “Centre for the Support of People with Disabilities,” “Ynam,” “Yenme,” and “Keyik Okara.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Ambassador Ms.Terhi Hakala thanked everyone for their time and, before getting acquainted with the participants, introduced her delegation: Mr. Ilkka Räisänen, Rowing Ambassador of Finland for Central Asia; Ms. Annika Pelkonen, Senior Specialist, Task Force for the Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship; and Ms. Margot Araujo, PSO/ Central Asia Desk, OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre. The meeting was also attended by the organizers: Ambassador Mr.William Leaf, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, Ms. Olivera Zurovac-Kuzman, Economic and Environmental Affairs Coordinator at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, and several other Centre staff members.

The distinguished guests were primarily interested in the general situation of interaction between Turkmenistan’s civil society and the OSCE, as well as their ideas, priorities, and vision for further cooperation.

During the meeting, representatives of the public organizations briefly spoke about their activities and their experience of cooperation with the OSCE. In a lively discussion, they emphasized the need for staff retraining, regional exchange of experience, and an increase in grant programs from the OSCE.

“This year, the OSCE turns 50, and the Helsinki Final Act was signed on July 31, 1975. Civil society is important for the OSCE—it is the third dimension of our organization. The current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, pays special attention to youth policy, gender issues, and civil society in general. I remember the year when Turkmenistan joined the OSCE, and the OSCE office in Ashgabat, which has been operating since 1998, is a testament to developing cooperation and new expectations,” noted Ms. Terhi Hakala.ⁿ

It is noteworthy that for the first time this year, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has initiated the inclusion of 2-3 representatives of public organizations in Turkmenistan’s delegation to the annual OSCE Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw. This initiative is driven by the need to involve all stakeholders in a developing democratic society.

At the end of July 2025, Sabir Agabalayev, Chairman of the “Keyik Okara” NGO, and Gulya Choreklieva, Chairperson of the “Yenme” NGO, took part in the OSCE Chairpersonship Youth Forum – “From Helsinki to the next 50 years” and briefly shared the areas they worked on in groups: gender issues, domestic violence, and call centers. They proposed a component on the use of digital technologies and social media in this area. An emphasis was placed on intersectoral cooperation and preventive work that requires holding informative events for prophylactic purposes.

Berkeli Atayev, Director of the “Tebigy Kuwwat” Public Association Enterprise, drew the attention of the high-ranking guests to his organization’s close cooperation with the OSCE and its Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA). In particular, he noted OCEEA’s support in creating the website aarhusashgabat.org, as well as the participation of Tebigy Kuwwat staff in regional environmental forums, annual meetings of Aarhus Centres, and so on.

“The OSCE Centre supports various initiatives to improve the environmental literacy of Turkmen students and to develop legislative acts. Last year, a conference was held at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat to mark the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s accession to the Aarhus Convention, and in May of this year, the Centre hosted a presentation of the draft law “On Climate Change” and a seminar for students from leading universities in Turkmenistan on responding to climate change-related risks,” added B. Atayev.

Ambassador Mr.William Leaf concluded the meeting. He expressed his pleasure in participating in such a productive event in his new role as Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, thanked everyone, and expressed his commitment to further cooperation in achieving shared goals.

Berkeli Atayev.