Voice. The 3rd United Nations Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) has begun in Awaz, Turkmenistan.

The heads of state and government of Maluk were welcomed by Vice President of the Government of Turkmenistan Hozamyrat Zeldimardov and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Sports Complex in Awaza, the opening venue.

Addressing the inaugural session, Guterres stressed the need for landlocked countries to make joint efforts with necessary cooperation and coordination to increase access to international competitive markets and to solve the problems being faced.

Turkmenistan’s President Berdimuhamedov called for south-south cooperation as well as the activation of parliamentary forums, youth and citizen networks to address the economic and social problems faced by landlocked developing countries. President of the 79th United Nations General Assembly Philemon Yunzi also addressed the inaugural session.

The ‘plenary’ session of the conference has begun at the tourism building in Awaja. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is leading the Nepali delegation to the conference, is scheduled to address the conference today. He is also scheduled to address the conference on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Oli will hold meetings with heads of delegations of various countries and high-ranking officials of the United Nations and other international organizations.

The third summit of the grouping assumes significance at a time when landlocked developing countries are facing difficulties in international trade, connectivity and economic development due to lack of direct regional access to the seas.

First Lady Radhika Shakya, Pm’s Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Member of The House of Representatives Surya Bahadur Thapa Chhetri, Pm’s Chief Personal Secretary Rajesh Bajracharya, Personal Physician Prof Dr Dibya Singh Shah, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amrit Bahadur Rai, among others, are part of the prime minister’s entourage.