Implementing the principles of peacefulness and the policy of permanent neutrality, Turkmenistan actively puts forward more and more topical international initiatives within the framework of the prevailing realities. Currently, the existing turbulence in international relations requires from states to have more balanced approaches to solving modern challenges. And in this direction, our country is making a feasible contribution to the strengthening of peace and sustainable development. In this context, the priority positions of Turkmenistan at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly fully reflect the peaceful and constructive policy of neutral Turkmenistan, the President of the country Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The initiatives consistently put forward by the President of our country on topical areas of world and regional politics vividly demonstrate the dynamic nature and active role of the Turkmen state on the international arena. The foreign-policy strategy of ensuring the national interests of the country today, more than ever, is closely combined with the global tasks of ensuring international peace and security, consolidating efforts to combat threats and challenges to modern humanity and developing and strengthening regional cooperation to further expand trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties.
The foreign policy of Turkmenistan, successfully pursued under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, receives its practical realisation on the example of concrete steps to implement international initiatives within the framework of multilateral cooperation with the United Nations and the states of the world community. Thanks to the active implementation of the multilateral diplomacy of Turkmenistan, the geographical limits of positive perception of and support for the foreign policy of our country are also significantly expanding, which is especially vividly demonstrated at the level of the United Nations. To a large extent, these lofty goals are served by the open and peaceful nature of Turkmen diplomacy, which is aimed at establishing a constructive dialogue in the system of international relations, jointly searching for and solving urgent problems of our time at both the regional and global levels.
Being a member of more than a dozen structural divisions of the UN and vice-chairman of the 77th session of the General Assembly, Turkmenistan is fruitfully implementing relevant large-scale initiatives and proposals aimed at consolidating the efforts of the Community of Nations and solving urgent problems of our time. The consistent election of Turkmenistan to the governing structures of international organisations, including the UN, allows more effective implementation of peace-loving initiatives. This indicates that as a result of a serious intensification of international relations and an increase in their qualitative content, the foreign-policy resource of Turkmenistan has grown significantly, its political and diplomatic tools have expanded, and the country has gained additional significant weight and authority in international affairs. In fact, today what is at issue is not just the availability of Turkmenistan’s own approaches to certain issues of international life, but the formation of a holistic ideology of the country’s foreign policy, which is based on faith in the mind and responsibility of the world community and confidence in the capability of its individual members to rise above momentary benefits for the sake of universal, global goals and prospects.
The systematic and consistent nature of the constructive interaction of Turkmenistan with the UN and its leading structures is also reflected in the fact that annually, during the preparation for the next session of the UN General Assembly, under the leadership of the head of state, the Priority positions of Turkmenistan on the global issues of the modern world, initiatives and proposals, developed in line with a peaceful policy based on our foreign-policy doctrine and the legal status of our country’s permanent neutrality, are developed and approved.
Thus, the priority positions of Turkmenistan at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly touch upon topical issues of multilateral cooperation in solving important problems of our time and making the most optimal decisions on them. In matters of peace and security, our country steadily follows its internationally recognised legal status of a permanently neutral state and strives to achieve the main goal – the creation of a universal system based on the principle of integrity and indivisibility of the concept of security. In this context, our country considers it important to develop a Global Security Strategy, based on the principles of the UN Charter and generally recognised norms of international law, taking into account current realities and trends in world development. This document should include such areas as preventive diplomacy as a tool for preventing and neutralising conflicts; the use of the potential of neutrality for the peaceful, political and diplomatic settlement of disputes and contradictions; and the restoration of a culture of trusting dialogue based on the decisions of the UN General Assembly to proclaim 2021 the International Year of Peace and Trust and 2023 the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace.
In the context of discussing issues of ensuring peace, stability and security, another initiative is also gaining key importance – the convocation under the auspices of the Organisation of the Conference on Security in Central Asia and adjacent zones. The purpose of the Conference is to develop approaches and solutions aimed at bringing together and synchronising the efforts of the countries of Central Asia and the world community, international organisations and financial and economic institutions in ensuring sustainable and conflict-free development of this region. The Turkmen party expresses readiness to hold its first meeting in Ashgabat in 2024. It is important to note that the current international initiatives of our country were previously put forward within the framework of the UN and found support among its members. Thus, in different years, international security forums were organised in our country under the auspices of the UN, which testifies to the systematic approach of Turkmenistan on these issues.
In the activities of Turkmenistan to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, the initiative to convene an international forum on food security is important, which was also reflected in the priority areas of our country at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. This forum can be organised by a number of key organisations of the UN system, such as the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the UN Children’s Fund. In matters of financing the SDGs, our country also proposes to create together with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs an international mechanism – the Ministerial Dialogue. Turkmenistan also proposes to consider the possibility of adopting the Resolution of the UN General Assembly “Stable, sustainable and reliable energy mobility and its key role in ensuring sustainable development.” The draft Resolution provides for the possibility of holding the International Forum entitled “Sustainable Energy for All” in Ashgabat in 2025.
In its activities to stabilise the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan, Turkmenistan proceeds from the fact that these tasks should be implemented through the active integration of Afghanistan into the world economic processes, the implementation of infrastructure projects and the provision of economic and humanitarian aid.
In the name of promoting the importance of the Institute of Neutrality in international relations, Turkmenistan proposes to hold a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends in Ashgabat in December 2023, followed by the organisation of an International Conference on the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace and Security in Ashgabat in December 2024. In this context, our country proposes to discuss the possibility of establishing the Institute of Neutrality and Security in Ashgabat, which could become an effective platform for conducting scientific work and research on neutrality and related issues.
In matters of energy and transport diplomacy, Turkmenistan intends to put forward a number of important initiatives at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly regarding the active introduction of “green” energy, the development under the auspices of the UN of a global strategy for zero growth in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the holding of an international forum in Turkmenistan with the participation of the relevant UN structures and the International Methane Emissions Observatory and proposals for the preparation of a draft UN General Assembly Resolution “Strengthening links between all modes of transport to achieve sustainable development goals”. The same list includes holding, together with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the development of cooperation in the field of sustainable transport within the framework of the Ashgabat process, timed to coincide with World Sustainable Transport Day (November 26).
In matters of environment cooperation, Turkmenistan comes up with a proposal to establish a specialised structure – the Regional Centre for Technologies Related to Climate Change in Central Asia, for substantive and systematic work on climate issues.
In order to maintain peace, security and good-neighbourliness in Central Asia and to establish a mechanism for the use of transboundary rivers in the region, our country proposes to consider at the regular session of the UN General Assembly an initiative to establish the UN Regional Water Council in Central Asia, headquartered in Ashgabat.
Health care and international humanitarian cooperation also take a special place in the foreign policy of our country. It is not surprising that the positions of Turkmenistan at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly reflect the key issues of international and regional cooperation in these areas and offer the most optimal solutions for them. Thus, our country proposes to organise a number of international forums on health and humanitarian cooperation, which include an International Scientific Conference on Infectious Diseases within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, a European Ministerial Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), a Regional Conference on Refugees, Migrants and Stateless People and a Founding Session of the Central Asian Youth Dialogue. In order to promote intercultural dialogue and to implement the resolutions of the UN General Assembly on supporting multilingualism in international relations, our country proposes holding in 2024, together with UNESCO and TURKSOY, the International Week of Turkic Languages, timed to coincide the 300th birth anniversary of Magtymguly Pyragy, and considering the possibility of adopting Resolutions of the UN General Assembly “World Day of Turkic Languages”.
Thus, the close partnership of Turkmenistan with the UN is accompanied by effective steps that contribute to the consolidation of efforts, taking into account the long-term prospects of the development of humankind, adequately responding to the global challenges of the 21st century. All these approaches also find practical reflection in the priority positions of our country in the context of the work of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.