Ashgabat, 15 December 2020: The joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan “Strengthening the Trade Capacity of Turkmenistan” convened an online meeting with the National Research University Higher School of Economics of Russian Federation. The purpose of the online meeting is to get acquainted with the joint project, activities of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and learn the activities of the Higher School of Economics, paying special attention to the research and development area in trade.

“A competitive modern economy, along with qualified specialists, requires access to new knowledge in trade, and therefore the joint project between the UNDP and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan seeks to establish access to international scientific, analytical and statistical information, including databases and specialized periodicals”, emphasized Ms. Natia Natsvlishvili, UNDP Resident Representative a.i.

During the online meeting participants made presentations on the activities of the joint project and the research and development activities of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan. Representatives of the Higher School of Economics presented their activities in the area of trade research and development, capacity building programmes, and advisory services.

The participants noted the importance of the meetings and discussed the possible cooperation between the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Higher School of Economics.

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The objective of the joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan “Strengthening the Trade Capacity of Turkmenistan” is to develop trade capacity of the country through the development of human capital in order to increase the competitiveness of national staff and transform human intelligence into the leading factor of economic growth and national competitiveness, diversification of export and increasing the share of higher-value added products in export composition.