Addressing the International Conference on the Policy of Neutrality: International Cooperation for Peace, Security and Development, held in Ashgabat, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that on that day 20 years ago the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Resolution on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan. The Turkmen leader expressed gratitude to the Member States of the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Non-Aligned Movement for providing support to our country at the summits in March and October 1995 that was essential to the recognition of neutrality of Turkmenistan by the community of nations.
Turkmenistan chose a model called positive neutrality and formulated its fundamental aspects, namely peacefulness, non-interference in the affairs of other states, respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-participation in international military organisations and treaties.
The young Turkmen state was guided by national interests as well as the willingness to live in peace and cohesion with its neighbours, maintain friendly and equal relations and develop mutually beneficial economic and trade contacts with all countries.
The country has never laid any claims – neither territorial nor other claims – to any state, and we decided to make our independent way to international politics by turning over a new leaf, having extended a hand of friendship and cooperation to our neighbours and the whole world.
Proclaiming and implementing the principles of harmony, tolerance and humanism in the society, in the internal life, the Turkmen state also projects these concepts on its relations with the outside world. The Turkmen leader emphasized that in this context neutrality of Turkmenistan was based on a strong moral framework of the internal state structure as its logical continuation and the reflection of the best traits of the Turkmen people.
Over the past twenty years, the neutral peace-loving foreign policy of Turkmenistan has demonstrated compliance with national interests as well as long-term goals of the world community, the criteria of a constructive and balanced approach to building international stability and security and establishing the principles of the UN Charter as the foundations for bilateral relations. The testimony to the correctness of our sovereign choice was the unanimous adoption of the new resolution of the UN General Assembly this year that expresses support for the neutral policy of Turkmenistan and recognizes its constructive peace-building role in the international arena.
The coincidence of the strategic goals of Turkmenistan with the objective requirements of global development predetermines the vector of joint global efforts to promote peace, security and cooperation in Central Asia. Doing this work, we are entitled to rely on the accumulated peace-building experience in hosting inter-Tajik and inter-Afghan talks under the auspices of the UN in the capital of neutral Turkmenistan in the mid-1990s.
Our country is once again ready to act as a reliable and effective partner of the United Nations in addressing such critical issues as the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, promoting regional disarmament processes and reducing weapons stockpiles, working out sustainable solutions to water and energy issues and ensuring environmental security.
A special role in achieving these objectives is assigned to the Ashgabat-headquartered UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, inaugurated in December 2007 by the international community with the support of all the countries in the region. Since then, the regional peace-building agenda has been given a new impetus, the opportunities have been significantly extended to develop and utilize the constructive models of interaction between states based on universally recognized norms of international law, relying on the enormous moral authority of the UN and its invaluable experience in responding to crises.
In this regard, the development of a multilateral consultative and negotiation mechanism as part of activities of the Regional Centre, involving diplomats and experts, designed to facilitate harmonization of approaches to addressing regional social and economic challenges is deemed important. Practice shows that it is under the auspices of the UN that preventive diplomacy leverage is able to work effectively and produce real results
Close and multifaceted cooperation with the UN that we view as the pillar of the modern system of global cooperation, the guarantor of the preservation and maintenance of peace and balance of interests in the world arena, the stability of the existing security architecture remains a strategic priority of Turkmenistan.
The Turkmen leader expressed belief that the high humanist ideals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations should continue to serve today as the legal and moral foundations for the international order in the backdrop of new global realities, the escalating tensions in different parts of the globe.
A number of specialized agencies of the United Nations, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Population Fund, are operating in Turkmenistan on a permanent basis today. Together with the UN, Turkmenistan will do whatever is necessary to strengthen peace, stability and security. We also reaffirm our commitment to an uncompromising struggle against international terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking.
The promotion of fraternal and friendly relations with our neighbours will remain a crucial aspect of the foreign policy of neutral Turkmenistan. Ambitious joint energy and transport projects designed to guarantee the prosperity to our countries.
Turkmenistan will continue to provide assistance to Afghanistan and support the efforts of the international community to achieve peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
We are determined to build up multilateral cooperation to address the Caspian Sea related issues. In this regard, to achieve sustainable security in the Caspian Sea on the basis of equality and mutual respect of all the littoral states should be the main objective. The Turkmen leader expressed belief that the Caspian Sea had been, was and should remain the sea of peace, reconciliation, good neighbourliness and effective international cooperation.
Turkmenistan is successfully developing relations with other countries. Expansion and diversity of foreign political relations create the conditions conducive to intensifying international economic, trade and investment cooperation of our country.
Together with its partners, our country, pursuing the diversification strategy, has implemented a number of major pipeline projects in eastern and southern directions in recent years.
Another ambitious energy project – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline – is entering the implementation stage. The testimony to an understanding of the importance of the project is the support of our partners in different countries of the world, the major financial institutions, first of all the Asian Development Bank, for the TAPI gas pipeline project. The construction of the Turkmen pipeline section will be launched tomorrow.
An active and interested dialogue on the implementation of the projects for natural gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Europe is under way. All the completed and potential gas pipeline projects that Turkmenistan is involved in are not based on any geopolitical considerations or reasons, but dictated solely by economic and commercial benefits of all the countries that gas transportation routes run across. This is our principled position that we will continue to adhere to in the future.
The initiatives formulated by Turkmenistan to create transnational transport corridors in the region and on the continent are becoming particularly relevant today. Transport infrastructure contributes to the development and progress of nations and peoples, the stability of international processes.
It is neutrality of Turkmenistan that largely conduces to successful implementation of joint international projects. We have never politicized and are not politicizing economic cooperation. This fact meets with the understanding and high evaluation of our partners.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the need to further develop the phenomenon of neutrality. It is necessary to purposefully and systematically work towards further improving the scientific and theoretical foundations and applying in practice the principle of neutrality in international activities. Turkmenistan proposes establishing the International Centre for Neutrality Studies in international law and international relations.
Focusing on profound international significance of permanent neutrality and taking into account the fact that this status is a pillar to peace, security and development, Turkmenistan is putting forward an initiative to proclaim the UN International Day of Neutrality. We hope for the support of all UN Member States in these matters.
The Turkmen leader assured that neutral peace-loving Turkmenistan would continue to do everything necessary to strengthen peace and security on the planet and contribute to the development and progress of human civilization.
Turkmenistan chose a model called positive neutrality and formulated its fundamental aspects, namely peacefulness, non-interference in the affairs of other states, respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-participation in international military organisations and treaties.
The young Turkmen state was guided by national interests as well as the willingness to live in peace and cohesion with its neighbours, maintain friendly and equal relations and develop mutually beneficial economic and trade contacts with all countries.
The country has never laid any claims – neither territorial nor other claims – to any state, and we decided to make our independent way to international politics by turning over a new leaf, having extended a hand of friendship and cooperation to our neighbours and the whole world.
Proclaiming and implementing the principles of harmony, tolerance and humanism in the society, in the internal life, the Turkmen state also projects these concepts on its relations with the outside world. The Turkmen leader emphasized that in this context neutrality of Turkmenistan was based on a strong moral framework of the internal state structure as its logical continuation and the reflection of the best traits of the Turkmen people.
Over the past twenty years, the neutral peace-loving foreign policy of Turkmenistan has demonstrated compliance with national interests as well as long-term goals of the world community, the criteria of a constructive and balanced approach to building international stability and security and establishing the principles of the UN Charter as the foundations for bilateral relations. The testimony to the correctness of our sovereign choice was the unanimous adoption of the new resolution of the UN General Assembly this year that expresses support for the neutral policy of Turkmenistan and recognizes its constructive peace-building role in the international arena.
The coincidence of the strategic goals of Turkmenistan with the objective requirements of global development predetermines the vector of joint global efforts to promote peace, security and cooperation in Central Asia. Doing this work, we are entitled to rely on the accumulated peace-building experience in hosting inter-Tajik and inter-Afghan talks under the auspices of the UN in the capital of neutral Turkmenistan in the mid-1990s.
Our country is once again ready to act as a reliable and effective partner of the United Nations in addressing such critical issues as the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, promoting regional disarmament processes and reducing weapons stockpiles, working out sustainable solutions to water and energy issues and ensuring environmental security.
A special role in achieving these objectives is assigned to the Ashgabat-headquartered UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, inaugurated in December 2007 by the international community with the support of all the countries in the region. Since then, the regional peace-building agenda has been given a new impetus, the opportunities have been significantly extended to develop and utilize the constructive models of interaction between states based on universally recognized norms of international law, relying on the enormous moral authority of the UN and its invaluable experience in responding to crises.
In this regard, the development of a multilateral consultative and negotiation mechanism as part of activities of the Regional Centre, involving diplomats and experts, designed to facilitate harmonization of approaches to addressing regional social and economic challenges is deemed important. Practice shows that it is under the auspices of the UN that preventive diplomacy leverage is able to work effectively and produce real results
Close and multifaceted cooperation with the UN that we view as the pillar of the modern system of global cooperation, the guarantor of the preservation and maintenance of peace and balance of interests in the world arena, the stability of the existing security architecture remains a strategic priority of Turkmenistan.
The Turkmen leader expressed belief that the high humanist ideals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations should continue to serve today as the legal and moral foundations for the international order in the backdrop of new global realities, the escalating tensions in different parts of the globe.
A number of specialized agencies of the United Nations, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Population Fund, are operating in Turkmenistan on a permanent basis today. Together with the UN, Turkmenistan will do whatever is necessary to strengthen peace, stability and security. We also reaffirm our commitment to an uncompromising struggle against international terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking.
The promotion of fraternal and friendly relations with our neighbours will remain a crucial aspect of the foreign policy of neutral Turkmenistan. Ambitious joint energy and transport projects designed to guarantee the prosperity to our countries.
Turkmenistan will continue to provide assistance to Afghanistan and support the efforts of the international community to achieve peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
We are determined to build up multilateral cooperation to address the Caspian Sea related issues. In this regard, to achieve sustainable security in the Caspian Sea on the basis of equality and mutual respect of all the littoral states should be the main objective. The Turkmen leader expressed belief that the Caspian Sea had been, was and should remain the sea of peace, reconciliation, good neighbourliness and effective international cooperation.
Turkmenistan is successfully developing relations with other countries. Expansion and diversity of foreign political relations create the conditions conducive to intensifying international economic, trade and investment cooperation of our country.
Together with its partners, our country, pursuing the diversification strategy, has implemented a number of major pipeline projects in eastern and southern directions in recent years.
Another ambitious energy project – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline – is entering the implementation stage. The testimony to an understanding of the importance of the project is the support of our partners in different countries of the world, the major financial institutions, first of all the Asian Development Bank, for the TAPI gas pipeline project. The construction of the Turkmen pipeline section will be launched tomorrow.
An active and interested dialogue on the implementation of the projects for natural gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Europe is under way. All the completed and potential gas pipeline projects that Turkmenistan is involved in are not based on any geopolitical considerations or reasons, but dictated solely by economic and commercial benefits of all the countries that gas transportation routes run across. This is our principled position that we will continue to adhere to in the future.
The initiatives formulated by Turkmenistan to create transnational transport corridors in the region and on the continent are becoming particularly relevant today. Transport infrastructure contributes to the development and progress of nations and peoples, the stability of international processes.
It is neutrality of Turkmenistan that largely conduces to successful implementation of joint international projects. We have never politicized and are not politicizing economic cooperation. This fact meets with the understanding and high evaluation of our partners.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the need to further develop the phenomenon of neutrality. It is necessary to purposefully and systematically work towards further improving the scientific and theoretical foundations and applying in practice the principle of neutrality in international activities. Turkmenistan proposes establishing the International Centre for Neutrality Studies in international law and international relations.
Focusing on profound international significance of permanent neutrality and taking into account the fact that this status is a pillar to peace, security and development, Turkmenistan is putting forward an initiative to proclaim the UN International Day of Neutrality. We hope for the support of all UN Member States in these matters.
The Turkmen leader assured that neutral peace-loving Turkmenistan would continue to do everything necessary to strengthen peace and security on the planet and contribute to the development and progress of human civilization.