Neutral Turkmenistan, sharing the vision of peace and trust as interrelated categories expressed in the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the UN Strategy until 2030, in other multilateral acts, believes that they are the basis for strengthening and further development of the modern architecture of international relations. This approach strengthens mutual understanding, creates conditions for the recognition of diversity in all its many manifestations, and promotes peaceful coexistence.
The initiative of Turkmenistan, supported by the international community, to proclaim 2021 the International Year of Peace and Trust, which was enshrined in a special resolution of the UN General Assembly, is aimed at creating a culture of peace and trust. A consistent continuation of the country's invariable peacekeeping and constructive course was the proposal to nominate, at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, which opens on September 14 in New York, an initiative to create a zone of peace, trust and cooperation “Central Asia - Caspian region”. Turkmenistan considers it expedient to legalize it at the forthcoming 6th Caspian summit this year.
Like the Treaty on Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in Central Asia (CNWFZ) signed 15 years ago, the creation of a zone of peace, trust and cooperation in the strategically important geopolitical space “Central Asia - Caspian Region” can serve as one of the components of the creation of a global system peace, trust and mutually beneficial cooperation. If the creation of a nuclear-free zone became a real contribution of the Central Asian countries to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, in support of the idea of the indivisibility of security as one of the fundamental principles of the UN, then the new initiative of Turkmenistan has both a wider geographical format and context, and a focus on creative goals.
The creation of such a zone will require the political will of the Central Asian and Caspian countries, the support of international organizations, primarily the UN, as well as the synergy of multilateral efforts and the mobilization of the potential of all peacekeeping institutions, existing and new cooperation mechanisms. First of all, we are talking about the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia located in Ashgabat and such planned forms of international cooperation as the Academy of Preventive Diplomacy for Youth and the Women's Dialogue of Central Asian countries.
The specific ideas and proposals expressed by the leaders of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan at the third Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asia are also of great value. Coordination in the near future of a draft Roadmap for the development of regional cooperation for 2022-2024 and the signing at the next Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the XXI century, as well as the decisions that will be taken The VI Caspian Summit can become important steps in the implementation of the idea of creating a zone of peace, trust and cooperation “Central Asia - Caspian region” promoted by Turkmenistan.
Ogulgozel Rejepova