OREANDA-NEWS. March 13, 2009. Today it can be stated that the 10th Summit Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Tehran differs substantially from the previous ones particularly because it took place against the background of the global financial and economic crisis which had spread all over the world. Actually, it became one of the major topics of the Summit conducted under the motto “Regional Cooperation to Respond to Global Financial Crisis”

It is the global financial crisis that accentuates the need for the integration processes in the region. This theme was widely covered by the Iranian mass media on the eve of the ECO Summit Meeting. Thus, one of the largest national newspapers – Tehran Times published the speech of ECO Secretary General Khurshid Anwar who spotlighted the main topics of the forthcoming Summit in this context. On the day of opening the Summit the newspaper run a double-page spread featuring the aspects of the ECO’s activity.

Nowadays globalization including integration as well along with the aspects conducive to the development of the states poses challenges. In the modern world none of the country however great it can be is unable to independently cope with these problems. The most effective way to respond to the global crisis is the coordinated reaction of the ECO member states. Being fully aware of it we attach special importance to the development of cooperation in the framework of the regional and international organisations each of which has its own purport, its own aims and objectives. The Economic Cooperation Organization is viewed by Turkmenistan as a vector of the foreign policy strategy.

The 10th Summit Meeting became a landmark in the ECO’s activity for evaluating and comprehending the work done as well as identifying the perspectives on the future. At the same time, the pace of harmonizing and developing the relations in the ECO’s framework are far from its potentiality. In addition, the time demands new approaches to the Organization’s activity to comply it with the modern realities, trends in global economy, specific progress and direction of the regional processes.

Such approaches acquire greater topicality under the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis. The efforts to elaborate the measures to resist global crisis should be aimed at preventing its adverse impact and turning it into the opportunities. In this regard the most important thing is to comprehend the profound influence that the geoeocnomic factor has nowadays on the logics of global processes, achievement of the goals of social and economic development, sustainable balance of interests in different regions and, eventually, the general level of international stability and security.

The Tehran Declaration setting forth the trends in further cooperation was issued on the conclusion of the Summit. In Tehran the ECO Summit participants called for building the reliable regional economic system enabling to develop the bilateral and multilateral relations among the ECO member states. The Summit agenda included the aspects of the implementation of the large-scale joint projects, transit traffic and energy. The proposals to develop the ECO central banks network, remove the existing trade barriers, launch large-scale projects to guarantee food security to the region were put forward.

To comprehend deeply the causes of the crisis of the global financial system and the search for the ways to settle it the traditional approaches and stereotypes should be given up. The existing views should be thoroughly revised, the other way of thinking should be developed – the new tasks demand the innovation means to fulfill them. Therefore, the global financial crisis is not only the an endurance test but also a unique chance to realize the need to unite to find the worthy way out of the situation, to bring the relations up to a qualitatively new and higher level. Though the discussion highlighted two major aspects: on the one hand the crisis creates the particular requisites for regional consolidation, on the other hand ECO’s politicization may substantially hamper this process.

Turkmenistan expressed belief that ECO should stand aside the political influence either outside or inside and build its work on economic viability and reasonability on the principles of equality, mutual understanding and respect to the interests of the ECO member states. Other instruments, forums and organisations exist to tackle the political issues. In the regional dialogue ECO is urged to act through employing the mechanisms of preventive diplomacy and economic cooperation which provide the vast opportunities for our region rich in natural resources

The aggregate potential and geographical specificity of the ECO member states create the prerequisites for turning the ECO region into the world’s largest energy producer and exporter through extending the pipeline infrastructure in the four corners of the earth. Of course, the most important prerequisite is security of energy export – that is Turkmenistan’s initiative to launch the international dialogue on the problem of security of transit of energy to world markets is aimed at. All the ECO member states coauthored the relevant draft resolution and profoundly contributed to adopting it by the United Nations General Assembly last year. That evidences the understanding of the topicality of this problem by the member states, their adherence to constructive endeavours and cooperation.

Along with the economic priorities ECO carries out the large-scale work to achieve regional security and combat illicit drug trafficking, terrorism, transnational crime. These problems were the focus of the Summit Meeting. The ECO leaders expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan and interest in achieving stability in this country. ECO rendered substantial aid to Afghanistan, especially to combat illicit drug trafficking, – and these efforts bring encouraging results. In this regard emphasis should be put on the significance that Turkmenistan attaches to revival of Afghanistan, establishment of lasting peace in the Afghani land. Turkmenistan helps this fraternal country to revive its economy, energy sector and construct social facilities.

The statements made at the Summit Meeting noted that though there was no open war in some countries of the region there was no peace. Such ‘frozen conflicts’ impede regional cooperation and should be settled on the basis of territorial integrity in compliance with the international law norms.

In addition, the Summit participants considered the aspects of the current ECO’s activity relating to the integration in the global system through establishing regional scientific cooperation. It was emphasized that ECO’s activity in this sphere would promote the relationships in the sphere of new technologies, industrial innovations, economic research and facilitate the exchange of scientific practices, technologies and information among the research centres, introduction of advanced technologies in the interests of the member states. This theme was the focus of the events held in the framework of the Summit Meeting.

The Summit programme included the ceremony of awarding for outstanding research work in the fields of economics and environment, culture and literature, science and technology, education and agriculture for the year of 2008. This ceremony was held for the first time and our compatriot Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy Mars Ashirmamedov was among the first holders of the prestigious award of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

“Awarding this prestigious award,” Doctor Mars Ashirmamedov said, “is another evidence of the worldwide recognition and support of the fundamental transformations and large scale reforms initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in all the spheres of the life of independent Turkmenistan, especially – to accelerate the development of national science and education. The impressive results of the President’s policy laid the foundation for further advancement of our revived Turkmen society along the path of progress and welfare. The comprehensive development of basic and applied sciences in our country favour intensification of the activities to develop Turkmenistan’s profound natural resources which are put at the service and for the benefit of the whole mankind. These and many other well-known initiatives of President Gurbanguly are ardently supported and encouraged by the world community and contribute to achieving peace, stability and economic progress of the Central Asian region. I regard awarding the ECO award as the recognition of the increased prestige of science in independent Turkmenistan and high appreciation of the Turkmen scientists’ contribution to the development of modern science.”