The International conference “Neutrality and preventive diplomacy: the groundwork for peace and security” dedicated to the 5th anniversary of opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat and the 17th anniversary of the permanent neutrality of the Turkmen state took place in the Ruhyet Palace in Ashgabat with participation of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
From the rostrum of the representative forum the Turkmen leader addressed the forum in the official language cordially greeting those gathered together in the Ruhyet Palace on that remarkable day on the eve of the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan. The Turkmen leader noted that the conference was a large political event of the international level. The fact that it is held with support and in close cooperation with the United Nations Organisation attaches particular significance to this forum. In this regard, the President of Turkmenistan continued speaking in the Russian language, an official language of the United Nations Organistaion.
Speaking about the search for new approaches to making the world process more humanistic, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the model of the Turkmen neutrality as the status quo of the foreign policy of Turkmenistan displayed a unique enforcement experience in the international community affairs, the factor of new world practice.
In this regard President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that several rounds of negotiations that played an important role in attainment of peace and harmony in Tajikistan took place in Ashgabat. The Turkmen capital was also the venue for the negotiations to settle the conflict in Afghanistan in the late nineties. Opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asian in Ashgabat vividly proved that Turkmenistan has become a reliable partner of the UN in preserving and supporting the political stability in the region, enhancing neighborly relationship, friendship and cooperation.
The common approaches to such urgent problems as terrorism, extremism, organized crime, illicit drug trafficking, management of the transboundary water and energy resources, situation in Afghanistan are elaborated by the Centre in cooperation with other international and regional organisations, including the OSCE, EU, ECO, SCO, CIS, etc. the President of Turkmenistan underlined the energy and ecological safety, transport and communications among the most important areas of cooperation.
Then the floor was given to UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, who read out a message of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. In his address the UN Secretary General noted that the joint work helped the states of a region to adequately respond to the challenges of time as well as to use efficiently the natural resources, widen the trade and improve transport systems.
Then the floor was given to OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, who called the UN Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat an accelerator of cooperation and promotion of counter initiatives in urgent areas, noted that the Central Asia had kept the upper positions in the OSCE agenda. The politician underlined that within the last years the international community had paid particular attention to this region and such a trend would probably enhance in future.
Speaking at the forum, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Sergei Lebedev underlined the active role of Turkmenistan as the state presiding over the CIS this year. The Declaration of the CIS Heads of State on the further development of comprehensive cooperation adopted during the Summit of the CIS Council of Heads of State on the initiative of Turkmenistan is of fundamental significance for the interstate collaboration. In particular, the Presidents of the CIS member states highlighted the importance of enhancing the potential of the CIS in the sphere of using the preventive diplomacy mechanisms and confidence building measures.
Then the floor was given to ECO Secretary General Shamil Aleskerov noted that the Economic Cooperation Organisation was ready to widen cooperation with the UN Regional Centre in Ashgabat in the prospective areas that the President of Turkmenistan spotlighted in his address. Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Muratbek Imanaliev also noted that cooperation within the framework of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat was a key component in the system of regional security.
Addressing the forum, Mr. Miroslav Jenca, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia said that it was not occasional that the 5th anniversary of the Centre was celebrated on the eve of the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan. The neutral status of Turkmenistan was one of the key factors for opening the UN Regional Centre in Ashgabat. This is the first UN structure that is specialized in preventive work at the regional level and it can serve as an example of similar efforts in other regions. The guiding principles of this organization are expressed in the words ‘impartiality’ and ‘innovation’.
Anticipating the further work of the forum, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General noted that during the following meetings the preventive diplomacy would be considered from the conceptual point of view. The conference participants will analyze and assess the accumulated experience as well as discuss the advanced practice, problems and prospects of the preventive diplomacy in general.
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Then the work of the International conference continued at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The conference participants underlined the urgency of the chosen subject area for the world agenda characterized by the search for the ways for resolving the interstate and internal conflicts in many regions of the world. In their reports the forum participants evaluated the versatile influence of the Turkmen neutrality on the global integration processes, presented their vision of new approaches to solution of the common tasks in the light of the foreign-policy and peacemaking initiatives of Turkmenistan.
From the rostrum of the representative forum the Turkmen leader addressed the forum in the official language cordially greeting those gathered together in the Ruhyet Palace on that remarkable day on the eve of the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan. The Turkmen leader noted that the conference was a large political event of the international level. The fact that it is held with support and in close cooperation with the United Nations Organisation attaches particular significance to this forum. In this regard, the President of Turkmenistan continued speaking in the Russian language, an official language of the United Nations Organistaion.
Speaking about the search for new approaches to making the world process more humanistic, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the model of the Turkmen neutrality as the status quo of the foreign policy of Turkmenistan displayed a unique enforcement experience in the international community affairs, the factor of new world practice.
In this regard President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that several rounds of negotiations that played an important role in attainment of peace and harmony in Tajikistan took place in Ashgabat. The Turkmen capital was also the venue for the negotiations to settle the conflict in Afghanistan in the late nineties. Opening of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asian in Ashgabat vividly proved that Turkmenistan has become a reliable partner of the UN in preserving and supporting the political stability in the region, enhancing neighborly relationship, friendship and cooperation.
The common approaches to such urgent problems as terrorism, extremism, organized crime, illicit drug trafficking, management of the transboundary water and energy resources, situation in Afghanistan are elaborated by the Centre in cooperation with other international and regional organisations, including the OSCE, EU, ECO, SCO, CIS, etc. the President of Turkmenistan underlined the energy and ecological safety, transport and communications among the most important areas of cooperation.
Then the floor was given to UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, who read out a message of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. In his address the UN Secretary General noted that the joint work helped the states of a region to adequately respond to the challenges of time as well as to use efficiently the natural resources, widen the trade and improve transport systems.
Then the floor was given to OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, who called the UN Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat an accelerator of cooperation and promotion of counter initiatives in urgent areas, noted that the Central Asia had kept the upper positions in the OSCE agenda. The politician underlined that within the last years the international community had paid particular attention to this region and such a trend would probably enhance in future.
Speaking at the forum, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Sergei Lebedev underlined the active role of Turkmenistan as the state presiding over the CIS this year. The Declaration of the CIS Heads of State on the further development of comprehensive cooperation adopted during the Summit of the CIS Council of Heads of State on the initiative of Turkmenistan is of fundamental significance for the interstate collaboration. In particular, the Presidents of the CIS member states highlighted the importance of enhancing the potential of the CIS in the sphere of using the preventive diplomacy mechanisms and confidence building measures.
Then the floor was given to ECO Secretary General Shamil Aleskerov noted that the Economic Cooperation Organisation was ready to widen cooperation with the UN Regional Centre in Ashgabat in the prospective areas that the President of Turkmenistan spotlighted in his address. Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Muratbek Imanaliev also noted that cooperation within the framework of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat was a key component in the system of regional security.
Addressing the forum, Mr. Miroslav Jenca, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia said that it was not occasional that the 5th anniversary of the Centre was celebrated on the eve of the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan. The neutral status of Turkmenistan was one of the key factors for opening the UN Regional Centre in Ashgabat. This is the first UN structure that is specialized in preventive work at the regional level and it can serve as an example of similar efforts in other regions. The guiding principles of this organization are expressed in the words ‘impartiality’ and ‘innovation’.
Anticipating the further work of the forum, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General noted that during the following meetings the preventive diplomacy would be considered from the conceptual point of view. The conference participants will analyze and assess the accumulated experience as well as discuss the advanced practice, problems and prospects of the preventive diplomacy in general.
Then the work of the International conference continued at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The conference participants underlined the urgency of the chosen subject area for the world agenda characterized by the search for the ways for resolving the interstate and internal conflicts in many regions of the world. In their reports the forum participants evaluated the versatile influence of the Turkmen neutrality on the global integration processes, presented their vision of new approaches to solution of the common tasks in the light of the foreign-policy and peacemaking initiatives of Turkmenistan.