One of the remarkable events of the last month was the election of Turkmenistan Vice Chair of the United Nations General Assembly. The UN high-ranking official Deputy Director of the Asia and the Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs of the UN Secretariat Vladimir Goryaev arrived in Ashgabat to personally inform President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov of the UN’s decision.

Thus, the international community through the largest and most authoritative organisation supported and recognized the progressive, constructive political course the Turkmen leader was pursuing, especially in the context of his foreign-policy initiatives of prospective significance for development of regional co-operation

Establishing the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy is the logical continuation of effective and constructive Turkmenistan-UN partnership that started in the first years of Turkmenistan’s independent development. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov noted that actively collaborating with the largest international organisation neutral Turkmenistan aspired to use its political, economic and cultural potential for the common benefit, for mutually advantageous interaction with the international community.

It should be noted that the question on the establishment of the Centre for Preventive Diplomacy had been distinctly outlined since the beginning of the current year when world community became aware the Turkmen leader’s firmness of purpose and dynamism harmoniously combined with the openness and pragmatism.

The key UN bodies based their decision upon analyzing the President’s specific and real steps on world arena supplemented with the large-scale initiatives aimed at intensifying international co-operation.

In the first political documents addressed to the United Nations, particularly the letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on occasion of the 15th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s entry into the United Nations Organisation President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan’s steadfast adherence to its international commitments as the permanently neutral state, UN full member and international entity.

For the first time the conceptual idea of conducting preventive diplomacy acquired the streamlined shape as the UN Regional Centre in Ashgabat established on the Turkmenistan’s initiative actively endorsed by the United Nations Organisation.

The main ideas conditioning the establishment of the Centre for Preventive Diplomacy were set forth in the documents of the UN High Level Group, which had been nominated by UN Secretary-General to generate the report. The results of the large-scale preparatory work were secured in the report of UN Secretary-General at the 60th session of the UN General Assembly (2005).

The Centre for Preventive Diplomacy is to ensure the interaction between the United Nations and the regional governments as well as other structures in the issues on conduct of preventive diplomacy practice. It will provide another opportunity to promote co-operation in the specific aspects of peace and stability maintenance in the region.

An important function the regional structure to perform is monitoring and analyzing the situation on the spots, providing regularly the UN Secretary-General with the information on the measures taken and interaction between parties on peace and stability maintenance.

When conducting the activity the Centre will keep contacts with the Organisation for Sector and Co-Operation in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Co-Operation Organisation and other regional organisations that will promote expanding and intensifying international collaboration in supporting peacemaking efforts and initiative. Close interaction is to promote co-ordination and information exchange on a higher organisational level.

As a UN structure in the region the Centre is to ensure the political conditions for supporting the efforts of UN resident coordinators aimed at designing a uniform approach to adoption and implementation of preventive measures and provision of humanitarian aid.

The Ashgabat Centre is the first experience, and implementation of preventive diplomacy through such a structured form has no analogues in the world. In fact, establishing the Regional Centre in Ashgabat the United Nations Organisation is moving along a new way.

Speculating on the prospects of the Centre’s work it should be noted that along with the organisational issues the Centre is to carry out large-scale research and analytical work to design a broad range of the conceptual issues related to the implementation of preventive diplomacy technique and preventive actions in the new realties of the 21st century. There the positive ‘point of support’ for the practical measures to avoid the potential danger of existing challenges and threats should be looked for.

From this point of view, preventive diplomacy concept and technique should be designed upon conducing thorough monitoring of the geopolitical processes, providing the strategic assessment and long-term projection of regional development. The so-called conflictogenic factors as well as the region’s potentialities in maintaining peace and stability should be focused on.

The overview on the regional development for the past ten years testifies to the necessity of significant enrichment of the concept of preventive diplomacy based on the positive experience the UN and its agencies have accumulated in the region. The important components include the integrated analysis of the local experience that each country in the region gained in ensuring social stability and sustainable social development. For example, the firm foundation for social stability was laid in Turkmenistan through providing the constitutional guarantees and implementing long-term social and economic development programmes.

Implementing large-scale projects to export Turkmen energy resources to world market, attracting long-term foreign investments and ensuring full-scale development of the leading sectors of national economy and social sphere attest to the firm foundation for sustainable development. Turkmenistan’s experience in international co-operation shows that sustainable development is possible in the region as well as a particular country only through the harmonization but not conflict of interests, equal and mutually beneficial partnership.

The Turkmen society demonstrated the sustainability of its social and political systems in the most difficult, and to some extent decisive period Turkmenistan and its people experienced at the end of the last year.

True grit and political prudence as well as the high managerial abilities Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov displayed as the leader of the Turkmen nation enable to maintain peace and stability in the country as well as to advance towards consolidation of the Turkmen nation, the readiness for international co-operation with the countries worldwide and the closest neighbors, first of all. In this context, Turkmenistan’s development in a new epoch of its political history deserves thoughtful analysis, first of all, from the point of view of peace maintenance and cohesion inside the country and in the region as well.

Turkmenistan is one of a few countries developing under the conditions of social accord and interethnic cohesion over the years of independence. The social and political institutions – Halk Maslakhaty, Revival National Movement (Galkynysh) and other forms of representation of the people contribute to the effective regulation of social processes.

The joint sitting of the V special congress of the Revival National Movement and the V special congress of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan held on August 4, 2007 in Ashgabat vividly evidenced the transparency of the state power, its answerability to people and readiness for deeper transformations.

At the congress the President of Turkmenistan was unanimously elected Chairman of the Revival National Movement and the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, the important political structures of our society. In his political address the Turkmen leader focused on the necessity of intensifying Turkmenistan’s international contacts and significance in this sphere.

The Turkmen leader’s specific steps and political course condition the international community’s confidence and belief that neutral Turkmenistan remains a strong supporter of peace, security and stability in the region. It is quite evident that the constructive proposals and initiatives put forward by President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov offer powerful incentives to develop international co-operation in the regional dimension, first of all, that is firmly guaranteed by the peaceful tread of our motherland, whose people consider honest labour and good neighbouring relations with the countries worldwide for peace, wellbeing and happiness its main concern.