MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Turkmenistan maintains an active dialogue with the authorized Afghan representatives and confirms that the situation in the border areas is stable, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Turkmenistan maintains an active and constructive dialogue with the authorized representatives of the neighboring country [Afghanistan], confirms the stability of the situation in border regions and keeps working to maintain cargo traffic, as well as the operation of border checkpoints between the two countries on the basis of mutual consent," the news release says.

According to the ministry, there was an online conference on Afghanistan by officials from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Austria responsible for migration affairs.

"The meeting was arranged by the Austrian side, represented by Austria's European and International Affairs Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer," the Foreign Ministry said. The participants discussed the situation in Afghanistan, in particular, the latest political events in that country and their impact on regional stability and security.

"Among other things, the partakers considered the situation involving refugees and migrants and reviewed acceptable mechanisms of regional and international cooperation. There was an exchange of opinion regarding wider humanitarian assistance to the Afghan population," the Foreign Ministry said.

Turkmenistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Vela Khadzhiyev said his country wished to see a prompt settlement of the situation in Afghanistan with all of the country's responsible forces taking part and was calling for the world community's more active involvement.

"It was stated that the Turkmen side sees peace-making in Afghanistan from the standpoint of three guidelines: political, economic and socio-humanitarian," the Foreign Ministry said. It was stressed that Turkmenistan is a proponent of peaceful settlement of all existing issues exclusively by political and diplomatic methods and means, which it has demonstrated in action since it gained independence and the neutrality status."

The Turkmen Foreign Ministry said that in the capacity of a permanent member of the Executive Committee of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Turkmenistan obtained vast experience of handling complex humanitarian situations and was urging its international partners to explore and use mutually acceptable ways of providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

The Foreign Ministry said the sides had agreed to go ahead with an active dialogue over concrete steps to assist Afghanistan in its socio-economic reconstruction.

Work in the field

The Turkmen Foreign Ministry also said that on Monday officials from the Foreign Ministry, Health and Medical Industry Ministry and a number of law enforcement and other departments and agencies concerned met with the authorized officials from Afghanistan's Faryab Province and the chief of the customs point Akina.

"The sides discussed day-to-day cooperation issues, such as proper enforcement of customs and phytosanitary control in the border areas, and wider cross-border humanitarian cooperation. The Afghan side reacted with satisfaction to Turkmenistan's friendly gesture to provide the necessary medical equipment," the Foreign Ministry said.