Turkmenistan-UN: cooperation for the sake of peace, security and sustainable development
In the Epoch of the Revival of the New Era of the Powerful state Turkmenistan under the leadership of our highly respeсted President continues consistently implement the foreign policy course, based on the status of permanent neutrality, the principles of peacefulness, good neighborliness, mutual respect and equal constructive partnerships.
Demonstrating a responsible and proactive approach to issues regional and international cooperation, our country contributes an effective contribution to the consolidation of efforts to develop solutions to relevant tasks of the present. In this regard, particular importance is attached to multi-vector cooperation with the United Nations, which has a strategic nature.
The comprehensive development and strengthening of multifaceted partnership with the UN is one of the key vectors of the foreign policy of sovereign Turkmenistan, which is invariably committed to the principles of openness, peacefulness and active international cooperation in the common interests.
By actively participating in developing balanced solutions to current global issues, our Motherland contributes significantly to promoting diplomacy of peace and mutual respect, strengthening global security and stability, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Our country stands for the optimal use of the potential of the United Nations, its political and diplomatic tools and high authority in order to reach constructive solutions and ensure universal and comprehensive security as a key condition for the fulfillment of all strategic tasks of the UN, including achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Our country is guided by strict adherence to the principles of neutrality, non-interference, firm commitment to peaceful, political means of resolving conflicts and contradictions. As is known, our country is the author of globally important international initiatives enshrined in UNGA Resolutions.
These initiatives aim to bring together efforts to strengthen traditions of peaceful and trusting coexistence of the peoples of the planet, working together through dialogue and cooperation to respond to global challenges, solving existing issues and building a better future for future generations.
In the light of modern realities, the significant the role of Turkmen neutrality and the demand for its potential. One of eloquent examples is the fact of establishment of the Group of Friends of Neutrality for the sake of peace, security and sustainable development, formed at the initiative of our country on the basis of UN and designed to become an open platform for constructive exchange opinions on various issues of regional and global partnership.
Today, dozens of states have joined the Group of Friends of Neutrality. Among them are the co-authors of the Resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations "Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan" from 1995 and 2015, "International Day of Neutrality" and "The Role and Importance of a policy of neutrality in maintaining and strengthening international peace, security and sustainable development”, adopted in 2017 and 2020.
For Neutral Turkmenistan, maintaining stability, strengthening a culture of peace and trust in international relations are key foreign policy vectors. By taking systematic practical steps in this direction, our country offers actively use the mechanisms and potential of neutrality in the unification of efforts to achieve the SDGs, effectively counteract global challenges.
At the same time, it should be noted that an important incentive motive for choosing neutrality as the foundation of the foreign policy of our Fatherland became a rich historical experience of the Turkmen people, whose mentality were always based on peacefulness, good neighborliness, respect, friendliness, openness.
The peculiarity of the neutrality of Turkmenistan lies in the fact that it is a living, creative process that is enriched with new ideas and practical developments, adapts to changing conditions, emerging challenges. But one thing remains unchanged - its creative, humanistic character.
Today, the neutral policy of our country is a significant factor for regional and global security and stability. Inalienable component of the neutrality of Turkmenistan is the preventive diplomacy. This is clearly evidenced by the fact of the opening in 2007 in Ashgabat of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in accordance with the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations with the support of the Central Asian countries and member states of the Security Council.
As is known, the initiative to establish the Center belongs to the National Leader of Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, our Hero Arkadag who started the process of formation of a completely a new model of cooperation in a strategically important region of the planet. The realization of this idea was facilitated by the realization of the need and the expediency of such a Center by the UN and regional associations, as well as the states of Central Asia.
Thus, for the first time in the history of the region, a permanent working body designed to be a catalyst for constructive political dialogue, contribute to the optimization of interaction in the development agreed decisions based on political and legal instruments and great authority of the UN.
Practice has shown that the opening of UNRCCA was timely and far-sighted step. The activity of the Center has been highly appreciated by international community. UNRCCA has proven to be an effective platform linking the United Nations system with countries of Central Asia in solving many topical issues of our time.
All these years, Turkmenistan has been fruitfully cooperating with the Center, providing full support for its work. Significant events in the context of strengthening the international legal framework of UNRCCA, implementing its potential was the adoption at the initiative of our country in 2017 and 2021 Resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on the role of UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.
Today, on the basis of the Regional Center, new partnership formats among the states of Central Asia and others have been formed. Turkmenistan intends to continue to actively cooperate with UNRCCA, contributing to the creation of an enabling environment for effective regional cooperation.
Turkmenistan's policy of positive neutrality also provides broad opportunities for promoting multilateral diplomacy, including economic, energy, transport, water, scientific, educational, cultural, humanitarian, parliamentary, medical, environmental, youth, sports, which is designed to contribute to the strengthening of mutual understanding, friendly and trusting relations between states and peoples, development mutually beneficial partnerships in various fields.
As was reported, the statement of the national position on Climate change and Environmental security, made by our highly respected President at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-28) in Dubai on 1-2 December 2023, was published and distributed in the six official languages of the United Nations as an official document of the 78th session of the General Assembly of the UN.
The statement was published on the agenda items titled “Protection of the global climate in the interests of present and future generations of mankind” and “Zone of Peace, Trust and Cooperation of Central Asia”.
The document, in particular, highlights Turkmenistan’s accession to the Global Methane Pledge and the creation, together with UNEP, of a legal framework for the opening of the UN Regional Center for Climate Change Technologies in Central Asia in Turkmenistan.
In this regard, it should be noted that, speaking at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, our deeply respected President underlined that Turkmenistan considers participation in this Conference as a milestone event in promoting its international strategy on climate change.
The National Climate Change Strategy adopted in 2012 was an important point for the full-fledged engagement of Turkmenistan in the global climate agenda. The next logical step was Turkmenistan’s accession to the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2019, a new version of the National Climate Change Strategy was approved in this regard. The document includes an expanded list of measures to adapt almost all key sectors of the economy and social sphere to new requirements.
As is known, at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, Turkmenistan expressed support for the new initiative on the Global Methane Pledge and expressed interest in studying the document in detail and participating in its implementation.
Taking into account the recommendations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and with the active support of the United Nations Development Program, in May 2022 Turkmenistan approved Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Climate Agreement.
In the context of broad international cooperation on solving climate change issues in Central Asia, the importance of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 2023 must be highlighted.
Thus, the priority positions of our country, globally important international initiatives put forward and efforts aimed at their practical implementation testify to our Fatherland's unwavering adherence to the norms of international law, its status as a permanently neutral state, recognized by the United Nations, and widely constructive interaction. This is a clear confirmation readiness of Turkmenistan for further consolidation of efforts in addressing key issues of the regional and global agenda, development of them joint responsible approaches based on goodwill, humanistic principles and creative partnership.
Gapbar HALLYYEV,
Lecturer of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan,
Coordinator of the Scientific and Methodological Center
for the Sustainable Development Goals.