OREANDA-NEWS. December 9, 2008. The Foreign Policy of Neutral Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace and Progress International Conference dedicated to coming holiday – the 13th anniversary of gaining the status of permanent neutrality by Turkmenistan was held at the Ministry of Justice. The organizers of the representative forum were the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, the Galkynysh National Movement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations.

Addressing the conference which brought together the deputies of the Turkmen parliament, members of the large public organisations, heads of the diplomatic mission accredited to Turkmenistan and the large UN agencies President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the policy of neutrality based on the principles of equal and mutually advantageous co-operation with different counties worldwide in the name of global peace and progress remained a pillar of the Turkmen state, a priority trend in its foreign policy in the epoch of Great Revival.

The forum participants noted that delegating the honorary status of permanent neutrality supported by 185 states and secured in the special resolution of the UN General Assembly had became a landmark for entire Central Asia – one of the very promising and most dynamically developing regions on the planet. This step showed that the world community unanimously recognized Turkmenistan as one of the UN’s leading partners on the enhancement of peace, global security and progress.

The participants noted that standing steadfast to its international commitments Turkmenistan took a very responsible approach to international co-operation prioritizing collaboration with the United Nations and its agencies. Thus, addressing the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that co-operation with this authoritative international organisation would be a vector of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy determining the important steps towards intensifying traditional co-operation. One of these steps was opening the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat which was called upon to bulwark peace and security in Central Asia.

The participants noted that at a new historical stage Turkmenistan resolutely demonstrated the qualitatively new approaches to challenges of the modern world making itself known as the state advocating wide international co-operation on the constructive and mutually advantageous basis. That was evidenced by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s recent initiatives including those on security of energy transit and efficient use of water resources which were supported by the UN and many countries worldwide.

The political scientists, researchers notable public figures and foreign diplomats noted that today Turkmenistan had every reason for being proud of a profound contribution that it had made through the status of neutrality to the global efforts to build the universal model of global peace and cohesion on the participatory basis.

Thanking Turkmen partners for an active and constructive stand on the issues of peace and stability in the region UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Mr. Richard Young said that this forum was held on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adherence and respect to which was declared by Turkmenistan to be a priority of the national policy.

The participants noted that having declared an individual to be the highest value of the society, successfully implementing the large-scale social programmes Turkmenistan resolutely advanced along the path of democratic reforms. The legal reforms and adoption of the new Constitution were the milestones on this path. In this context the special significance was attached to the coming parliamentary elections as another evidence of Turkmenistan’s adherence to the democratic values defining the essence and character of the changes brought by the epoch of Great Revival.

The participants exchanged views on the major and perspective trends in Turkmenistan’s foreign policy and elaboration of the common approaches to challenges of the modern world.