OREANDA-NEWS. December 13, 2010. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Lynn Pascoe, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, who had arrived in Ashgabat at the Turkmen leader’s invitation to participate in the celebrations to mark the 15th anniversary of Turkmenistan gaining the status of permanent neutrality, at the Ruhiyet Palace.

Congratulating Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the remarkable date and the success of the high-level international conference on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace, Security and Progress dedicated to this date, Mr. Lynn Pascoe focused with satisfaction on the great success of the Turkmen leader’s statement at the forum opening ceremony and the critical significance of the topical international issues and global economic challenges raised in the statement.

Greeting heartily the distinguished guest, the President thanked him for participating in the Ashgabat conference and emphasized that the organisation and high representation at the forum was a result of successful and fruitful cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UN, which was brought to a new level nowadays.

During the meeting the sides exchanged views on a wide spectrum of issues regarding further development of long-term partnership between Turkmenistan and the United Nations. It was noted that cooperation based on mutual initiatives and steps to implement them exemplified successful cooperation in the international arena.

Focusing on particular interest of the community of nations in independent neutral Turkmenistan, Mr. Lynn Pascoe said that the UN viewed it, first of all, as dependable partner standing as a bulwark of peace and security in Central Asia. The guest said that this interest was stipulated in many respects by drastic reforms taking place in the country on the initiative and under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The UN senior official expressed belief that the new international initiatives and economic and social reforms launched by the leader of Turkmenistan would open up the opportunities to more fully realize the peacekeeping potential of the country that met the UN goals and the interests of the world community. Some issues of regional and international politics of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting.

In conclusion the sides focused on the importance of furthering the productive dialogue and expressed belief that the results of this international forum would contribute to strengthening and expanding the constructive dialogue between Turkmenistan and the UN in the name of global peace and progress.