AKIPRESS.COM - The 13th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue was held on July 6 in the format of a videoconference, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said.

The Turkmen delegation consisted of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev, Ombudswoman of Turkmenistan, representatives of the Parliament (Mejlis), Supreme Court, as well as the Ministry of Justice (Adalat), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Turkmenistan, State Migration Service, Institute of State, Law and Democracy, as well as the Department on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan.

The delegation of the European Union included representatives of the European External Action Service, EU Ambassador to Turkmenistan. The Ambassadors of France and Germany to Turkmenistan took part in the session as observers, and the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat also participated to the session.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues regarding the implementation of international legal obligations of Turkmenistan in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law. Among the key issues of the agenda, there were the rule of law and judicial reforms, economic, social and cultural rights, cooperation in multilateral formats and with the international organizations.

The results of the activities of the Inter-departmental Commission on the Implementation of International Obligations of Turkmenistan in the area of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law were heard. Concrete examples of processing the applications and proposals of the civil society were presented.

The parties exchanged views, recommendations and proposals on the development of national programmes, plans and laws in the field of human rights.