Today, with his reception in Ashkhabad by Mr Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President of Turkmenistan, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and current President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, began a series of meetings to be held with representatives of States of Central Asia, which in addition to Turkmenistan also include Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The objective of the EU Troika meetings headed by Dr Rupel is to intensify relations between the European Union and the Central Asian Region, which, with regard to its energy resources, represents an important partner for Europe. The discussion between Minister Rupel and President Berdimuhamedov was devoted to this issue. In this context, energy issues in connection with environmental protection questions and water management measures which are of significance for the Central Asian Region were discussed.
