Deputy Minister of Economy Participated in SPECA Week Events in Turkmenistan
Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Rovnag Abdullayev, participated in a series of high-level events held within the framework of SPECA Week in Turkmenistan, including the 20th Meeting of the SPECA Steering Council and the 2nd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the SPECA Multilateral Trust Fund.
The 20th Meeting of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) took place in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The meeting was chaired by Babaniyaz Yalakov, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, and brought together heads of delegations from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), as well as SPECA participating countries.
Azerbaijan was represented at the meeting by Deputy Minister of Economy Rovnag Abdullayev. In his address, the Deputy Minister underlined the strong commitment of Azerbaijan to strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Central Asian countries. He highlighted that cooperation in transport and transit, trade, energy, investment, digitalization, and other key sectors remains a priority for sustainable regional development.
The Deputy Minister also drew attention to Azerbaijan’s initiatives aimed at developing the Middle Corridor and enhancing regional transport and communication connectivity. In addition, he emphasized the importance of joint investment funds established with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic to support the implementation of joint regional projects.
During the meeting, the final document of the SPECA Economic Forum was approved, and discussions were held on the implementation status of SPECA’s Work Plan for 2024–2025. Reports on the activities of SPECA working groups were presented, and views were exchanged on achievements and priorities for the upcoming period. The SPECA Work Plan for 2026–2027 was approved, and the Kyrgyz Republic was elected as the next Chair of SPECA.
Within the framework of SPECA Week, Deputy Minister Rovnag Abdullayev also participated in the 2nd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the SPECA Multilateral Trust Fund. In his remarks, he noted that the establishment of the SPECA Multilateral Trust Fund represents an important institutional milestone for advancing multi-vector regional cooperation.
The meeting reviewed progress made in the establishment of the Fund and discussed forthcoming steps. As part of the event, the SPECA Multilateral Trust Fund Financing Strategy and the first Call for Proposals were adopted.
