On 21 January, Turkmenistan's Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov met with Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). This was reported by the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Turkmenistan.

The parties confirmed their interest in developing cooperation and their readiness to expand joint programmes and projects.

The results of cooperation in 2025 and the importance of opening a FAO office in Turkmenistan for strengthening bilateral ties were noted.

They discussed the role of joint regional conferences on food security, taking into account climate change, as a platform for coordination among countries in the region.

Special attention was paid to issues of sustainable development, ecology and climate risks. Turkmenistan's initiatives to establish a Regional Centre for Combating Desertification for Central Asian countries and a Regional Centre for Climate Change Technologies in Central Asia were highlighted.

The development of a new Country Programming Framework for cooperation between the Government of Turkmenistan and FAO for 2026-2030 was also discussed.

Following the meeting, an Agreement was signed between the Government of Turkmenistan and FAO on the establishment of an FAO office and the provision of technical assistance.