The International Conference on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace, Security and Development was held in Ashgabat. It brought together the heads of diplomatic missions and representations accredited to Turkmenistan and Turkmen ambassadors to foreign states, representatives of public organisations of the Galkynys of the National Movement, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deputies of the Turkmen Parliament, the Institute of State and Law under President of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan, teachers and students of the Institute of International Relations of Turkmenistan and Turkmen and foreign journalists. The organizers of the high-level forum were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mejlis and the Galkynys National Movement.
The reports presented at the forum spotlighted the milestones and outcomes of the foreign policy strategy of the Turkmen state for 16 years which was refracted in all spheres of national independent development and the conceptual reforms initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to modernize the system of state and society.
It was noted that the new philosophy of Turkmen statehood became apparent in close, indissoluble interrelation of the social, economic, cultural, spiritual, scientific and technological lines of development of Turkmenistan with the multifaceted policy in the sphere of international relations. The past 16 years are marked with the outstanding achievements in promoting the foreign policy of the Turkmenistan that seeks to become the driving force for progress and peaceful development and prosperity throughout the region and beyond.
In this context the main advantage enabling our country to become an equal member of the international community is openness and readiness for wide partnership, responsiveness to positive international practice and intense peace-building activity to tackle regional and global issues. All this are the facets of Turkmen neutrality that has become an effective mechanism for upholding national interests and diversifying international cooperation of Turkmenistan in all priority fields of global progress.
Addressing the forum, Mr. Miroslav Jenca, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia said the date of December 12, 1995, when the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Resolution “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan” predetermining Turkmenistan’s special place and role in international relations, was of particular importance for not only our country. This date is a milestone in the history of the Community of Nations that adopted the document of this kind for the first time in its practice expressing belief that the status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan will contribute to strengthening peace and security in the region and urging all States to respect and support it.
The subsequent events testified to the correctness of this choice and unquestionably evidenced that neutrality of Turkmenistan is a significant factor in international peacekeeping efforts in the region as well as accelerated integration of the country into the category of countries with the high quality of life.
Highly evaluating Turkmenistan’s diplomatic activity, the dynamics of international cooperation with different countries of the world and new initiatives put forward by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General emphasized that today the Community of Nations paid special attention to elaborating the preventive diplomacy and mediation tools to settle disputes and tackle complicated issues of modern times.
In this respect the opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat in 2007 was another landmark in Turkmenistan-UN fruitful cooperation. In this regard the activities to create the early warning system to address emerging problems in the region should be highlighted among the Centre’s efforts to contribute to achieving stability and strengthening effective relations in Central Asia
Emphasis was also put on the International High-Level Meeting of Central Asian and other states to implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia which had been recently held in the Turkmen capital and resulted in adopting the Ashgabat Final Declaration and the Joint Action Plan which served as the first specific well-coordinated steps towards this aspect of regional cooperation.
The speech delivered during the forum by Samphe Lalungpa UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan provided an opportunity to look at Turkmen neutrality from a different perspective, from the viewpoint of the future that we saw in our children and youth – the successors and continuers of the peacekeeping traditions of the Turkmen people. In this regard Mr. Samphe Lalungpa emphasized that the theme of the conference was close and consonant with the UNICEF fundamental objectives and principles, including peace, security and development. It is an important thing the younger generation on the planet needs, and it is an important thing human civilization and progress need. Here, Turkmenistan not only declares its intention, but also creates the conditions for happy childhood and the vast opportunities to implement the potential of young people and protect their rights laying a reliable platform for its future, including through implementing joint projects with the UN Children’s Fund.
The reports of Sergei Belyaev, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and Anna Suotula, Adviser to the EU Special Representative for Central Asia focused on critical aspects of constructive international cooperation where the status of neutrality of Turkmenistan was embodied in a worthy manner.
It was particularly noted during the forum that peace, security and development were based not only on political cooperation, but also the responsibility of partner countries in the field of economic development, environmental protection, the promotion of human rights, democratic government and rule of law. Demonstrating its commitment to these principles, Turkmenistan builds up fruitful cooperation with European countries putting forward the new proposal to create the mechanisms for sustainable development and coherent response to modern challenges as well as humanitarian issues. In the sphere of energy security Turkmenistan also takes critical steps to create more effective tools and elaborate specific measures of international control of energy consumption, transit and supply based on clearly defined principles of law.
Evidence for successfully developing cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union, its transparent and long-term nature is steady expansion of diplomatic presence the EU and its institutions in our country, and it is planned open the EU representation in Turkmenistan.
The favourable geographical and geopolitical location of Turkmenistan and its role as a neutral peace-loving nation make the country a mediator between East and West and a unique entity of the Central Asian region promoting it to the leading role in the stabilization and integration processes taking place in this vast space. The themes for discussion included Turkmenistan’s support to Afghanistan in its social and economic reconstruction. In this regard emphasis was placed on the importance of implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.
Conference participants noted that the foreign policy strategy pursued by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had contributed to enhancing the international prestige of Turkmenistan as a universally recognized state-peacemaker. Nowadays Turkmenistan demonstrates the qualitatively new approaches to addressing urgent problems and challenge s of modern times on regional and global scale.
The practice has shown that neutrality is a living, creative process including the political, economic, historical and cultural aspects. One of foreign diplomats noted in his report that the nation who had managed to raise its basic ideological values and wise spiritual traditions to the state status recognized by the international community had a great future. Suffice it to look at the Turkmen capital, white-marble beautiful Ashgabat to imagine striking dynamics of the progressive changes in the country that brings closer its bright future day by day, hour by hour and creates it with its everyday work.
Conference participants were unanimous that independent neutral Turkmenistan could be rightfully proud of a worthy contribution it made to international efforts to ensure global peace and cohesion through mutually advantageous cooperation. In this regard it was noted that Turkmen diplomats had done much work to make Turkmen neutrality a reality actively promoting the foreign policy strategy of the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov – one of the prominent statesmen of our time.
The reports presented at the forum spotlighted the milestones and outcomes of the foreign policy strategy of the Turkmen state for 16 years which was refracted in all spheres of national independent development and the conceptual reforms initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to modernize the system of state and society.
It was noted that the new philosophy of Turkmen statehood became apparent in close, indissoluble interrelation of the social, economic, cultural, spiritual, scientific and technological lines of development of Turkmenistan with the multifaceted policy in the sphere of international relations. The past 16 years are marked with the outstanding achievements in promoting the foreign policy of the Turkmenistan that seeks to become the driving force for progress and peaceful development and prosperity throughout the region and beyond.
In this context the main advantage enabling our country to become an equal member of the international community is openness and readiness for wide partnership, responsiveness to positive international practice and intense peace-building activity to tackle regional and global issues. All this are the facets of Turkmen neutrality that has become an effective mechanism for upholding national interests and diversifying international cooperation of Turkmenistan in all priority fields of global progress.
Addressing the forum, Mr. Miroslav Jenca, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia said the date of December 12, 1995, when the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Resolution “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan” predetermining Turkmenistan’s special place and role in international relations, was of particular importance for not only our country. This date is a milestone in the history of the Community of Nations that adopted the document of this kind for the first time in its practice expressing belief that the status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan will contribute to strengthening peace and security in the region and urging all States to respect and support it.
The subsequent events testified to the correctness of this choice and unquestionably evidenced that neutrality of Turkmenistan is a significant factor in international peacekeeping efforts in the region as well as accelerated integration of the country into the category of countries with the high quality of life.
Highly evaluating Turkmenistan’s diplomatic activity, the dynamics of international cooperation with different countries of the world and new initiatives put forward by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General emphasized that today the Community of Nations paid special attention to elaborating the preventive diplomacy and mediation tools to settle disputes and tackle complicated issues of modern times.
In this respect the opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat in 2007 was another landmark in Turkmenistan-UN fruitful cooperation. In this regard the activities to create the early warning system to address emerging problems in the region should be highlighted among the Centre’s efforts to contribute to achieving stability and strengthening effective relations in Central Asia
Emphasis was also put on the International High-Level Meeting of Central Asian and other states to implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia which had been recently held in the Turkmen capital and resulted in adopting the Ashgabat Final Declaration and the Joint Action Plan which served as the first specific well-coordinated steps towards this aspect of regional cooperation.
The speech delivered during the forum by Samphe Lalungpa UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan provided an opportunity to look at Turkmen neutrality from a different perspective, from the viewpoint of the future that we saw in our children and youth – the successors and continuers of the peacekeeping traditions of the Turkmen people. In this regard Mr. Samphe Lalungpa emphasized that the theme of the conference was close and consonant with the UNICEF fundamental objectives and principles, including peace, security and development. It is an important thing the younger generation on the planet needs, and it is an important thing human civilization and progress need. Here, Turkmenistan not only declares its intention, but also creates the conditions for happy childhood and the vast opportunities to implement the potential of young people and protect their rights laying a reliable platform for its future, including through implementing joint projects with the UN Children’s Fund.
The reports of Sergei Belyaev, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and Anna Suotula, Adviser to the EU Special Representative for Central Asia focused on critical aspects of constructive international cooperation where the status of neutrality of Turkmenistan was embodied in a worthy manner.
It was particularly noted during the forum that peace, security and development were based not only on political cooperation, but also the responsibility of partner countries in the field of economic development, environmental protection, the promotion of human rights, democratic government and rule of law. Demonstrating its commitment to these principles, Turkmenistan builds up fruitful cooperation with European countries putting forward the new proposal to create the mechanisms for sustainable development and coherent response to modern challenges as well as humanitarian issues. In the sphere of energy security Turkmenistan also takes critical steps to create more effective tools and elaborate specific measures of international control of energy consumption, transit and supply based on clearly defined principles of law.
Evidence for successfully developing cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union, its transparent and long-term nature is steady expansion of diplomatic presence the EU and its institutions in our country, and it is planned open the EU representation in Turkmenistan.
The favourable geographical and geopolitical location of Turkmenistan and its role as a neutral peace-loving nation make the country a mediator between East and West and a unique entity of the Central Asian region promoting it to the leading role in the stabilization and integration processes taking place in this vast space. The themes for discussion included Turkmenistan’s support to Afghanistan in its social and economic reconstruction. In this regard emphasis was placed on the importance of implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.
Conference participants noted that the foreign policy strategy pursued by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had contributed to enhancing the international prestige of Turkmenistan as a universally recognized state-peacemaker. Nowadays Turkmenistan demonstrates the qualitatively new approaches to addressing urgent problems and challenge s of modern times on regional and global scale.
The practice has shown that neutrality is a living, creative process including the political, economic, historical and cultural aspects. One of foreign diplomats noted in his report that the nation who had managed to raise its basic ideological values and wise spiritual traditions to the state status recognized by the international community had a great future. Suffice it to look at the Turkmen capital, white-marble beautiful Ashgabat to imagine striking dynamics of the progressive changes in the country that brings closer its bright future day by day, hour by hour and creates it with its everyday work.
Conference participants were unanimous that independent neutral Turkmenistan could be rightfully proud of a worthy contribution it made to international efforts to ensure global peace and cohesion through mutually advantageous cooperation. In this regard it was noted that Turkmen diplomats had done much work to make Turkmen neutrality a reality actively promoting the foreign policy strategy of the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov – one of the prominent statesmen of our time.
