"PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF TURKMENISTAN'S NEUTRALITY" - PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan is one of the states of Central Asia - a region that today attracts more and more attention of the world community. Here geopolitical and geo-economic interests of many countries of the world are intertwined. Realizing this, Turkmenistan, under the leadership of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, actively participates in processes aimed at strengthening peace, stability, sustainable development and mutual understanding between the peoples of the region, which is of no small importance for achieving universal peace and progress.

One of the important partners of Turkmenistan in this regard is the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), established in accordance with the decision of the UN General Assembly with the support of neighboring states and members of the Security Council in 2007. The headquarters of this unique structure is located in Ashgabat.

The effectiveness of preventive diplomacy has been tested by time. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted the role and importance of the activities of the UNRCCA in his video address to the participants of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. Turkmenistan actively supports the work and initiatives of this Center, which has done a lot since its inception, in particular, in promoting political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian interaction between the states of the region and neighboring countries. Turkmenistan actively cooperates with UNRCCA in maintaining regional security, including the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Among the main areas of current cooperation is overcoming pressing threats and challenges, in particular the global pandemic and its socio-economic consequences.

In 2020, Turkmenistan celebrates the 25th anniversary of the permanent Neutrality of the state. By maintaining friendly, impartial and mutually beneficial relations, the state has achieved a lot within this status, one of the pillars of which is preventive diplomacy.

As the President of Turkmenistan noted during his speech at the 75th jubilee session of the UN General Assembly: “Following the logic of its neutral policy to ensure regional peace, security and development, consistently unlocking the potential of preventive diplomacy, during the session, Turkmenistan intends to invite the General Assembly to consider the draft resolution “Role of Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia”.

Turkmenistan is committed to regional and international cooperation through established platforms and programs to achieve concrete results in the economy, trade, healthcare, education and science, the development of energy and transport corridors, and environmental safety. In this context, it is important to emphasize the partnership of Turkmenistan within the framework of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program and other significant structures.

Following the principles of preventive diplomacy, Turkmenistan intends to further make a positive contribution to the process of achieving peace, stability and sustainable development at the regional and international levels.