On 25 April 2025, the  Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan hosted an interactive hybrid table-top exercise focused on consular crisis management, bringing together consular staff from both represented and non-represented EU Member States. The exercise was facilitated online by the Consular Affairs Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Consular crisis exercises are a key tool to enhance the preparedness of EU Member States and Delegations for delivering coordinated assistance to EU citizens during emergencies abroad. This particular exercise focused on responding to a major natural disaster scenario — an earthquake — and offered valuable insights into the specific challenges of crisis management in Turkmenistan.

Discussions addressed critical areas such as effective communication with citizens, coordination and information-sharing among Member States, emergency support through cooperation with local authorities, and the identification of possible evacuation routes.

The exercise also provided an opportunity to test the current Joint Crisis Framework, strengthen knowledge of potential joint responses, and identify areas for improvement and further development to ensure an even more effective EU consular response in the future.