OREANDA-NEWS. December 29, 2007. Turkmenistan will gain the observer status to the EurAsian Group on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism (EAG). The decision was taken at the 7th plenary meeting of the Group on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism (EAG), which was held in Sanya (Hainan, China) on December 11-14. The 3rd conference of EAG donor states and organisations and the workgroup meetings took place on those days. The forums brought together the delegations from the EAG member countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and the EAG observer organisations and states including the Financial Action Task Force Against Money Laundering (FATF), World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, EurAzEC, Interpol.

Recognizing the importance of wide international co-operation for concerting efforts to tackle serious challenges and the necessity of establishing the effective system to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism the President of Turkmenistan issued the Resolution “On Turkmenistan Joining the EurAsian Group on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism” this November. This step serves as a continuation of the policy of Turkmenistan that heads steadily and consistently towards establishing global partnership focused on solving the urgent problems mankind faces nowadays.

Taking into account that the measures taken by Turkmenistan to build the effective national system of combating money laundering and financing of terrorism completely comply with the goals and key objectives of the EurAsian Group the EAG member states agreed to grant the observer status to Turkmenistan allowing to participate in the events held by the large international structure (without vote), to receive technical assistance and to collaborate in the programmes of co-operation with the international organisations and the states concerned.