NEUTRALITY OF TURKMENISTAN AS AN EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENT
OF STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL PEACE
The year 2020 bears special significance to Turkmenistan.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of permanent neutrality means a great deal to
the Turkmen nation. The unique status has been recognized twice by the world
community through the UN General Assembly Resolutions, 50/80A: ‘Permanent
neutrality of Turkmenistan’ on the 12th of December 1995 which was reaffirmed
on the 3rd of June 2015 (69/285). These two resolutions are not merely symbolic
acts by the UN Members states. They embody the unanimous recognition by the
largest–ever international community of the value of Turkmenistan’s Neutrality
and of the true benefit it brings to stability, peace and global partnership. During the twenty-five years of its history,
permanent neutrality status of Turkmenistan evolved into an effective
instrument of building international peace. In today’s globalized world where new
social, economic and environmental challenges need to be addressed by
international community jointly, Turkmenistan’s positive neutrality demonstrated
its potential to serve the common interests of humanity.
An important
strength of Turkmenistan’s neutral foreign policy is its openness to the world.
If neutrality was to have positive impact on international relations, it had to
be widely accepted and recognized by the international community. Therefore,
the government of Turkmenistan from the very first days of independence aimed
to explain its foreign policy choice in international forums. The first official declaration of Turkmenistan on its neutrality policy was made in
the 1992 Helsinki summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe. In 1995 in the Islamabad summit of the Economic Cooperation
Organization welcomed the initiative of Turkmenistan to declare permanent neutrality.
In October of 1995, Turkmenistan joined the Non-Aligned Movement and the
members of the organization expressed their support in the Cartagena
declaration of the organization. On 12 December, 1995 Turkmenistan received the
support of 185 states in the United Nations General Assembly and the historic
was adopted on “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan”. During the
early days of neutrality Turkmenistan actively contributed to the resolution of
the conflict in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. In 2015 we celebrated the 20th
anniversary of our neutrality status and the United Nations General Assembly
reaffirmed its support for our choice. In 2017 the United Nations proclaimed 12
December as International Day of Neutrality. And in 2020 Turkmenistan proudly celebrates
the 25th anniversary of its permanent neutrality.
It is important to
emphasize that Turkmen neutrality is the first neutrality status recognized by
the United Nations General Assembly in history. However, efforts of Turkmenistan
as a neutral country are by no means limited to the United Nations platform. In
international organizations such as the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Economic
Cooperation Organization, and the Non-Aligned Movement Turkmenistan is
well-known as an active and constructive partner. Through these platforms
Turkmenistan promotes principles of friendship and cooperation and actively
spreads the idea of denuclearization and demilitarization in international
politics. The establishment of the United Nations Regional Centre for
Preventive Diplomacy in 2007 in Ashgabat became a symbol of the trust of our
neighbors and international organizations. Furthermore, Turkmenistan’s election
to prestigious positions in international organizations represents a positive
evaluation of our country’s international efforts. An important example for
that was the election of our country to the United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) for the period 2019-2021.
Another source of strength
of Turkmenistan’s neutrality is its constitutional foundation. In the preamble
of the Constitution of Turkmenistan our nation vows to strengthen the
internationally-recognized legal status of permanent neutrality. Article 2 of
the constitution declares that the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan is the
foundation of its domestic and foreign policies. In addition, Turkmenistan’s
neutrality is supported by the Constitutional Law on the Permanent Neutrality
of Turkmenistan adopted in 1995. While these s affirm the permanent
character of the policy, they also serve as visions of a more peaceful and
prosperous world.
The results of
work carried out by Turkmenistan under the leadership of our Esteemed President
are clear. They demonstrate that neutrality and socio-economic development can
go together by mutually reinforcing each other. In the development field,
Turkmenistan is implementing national programs to achieve the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals. In July 2019, during the United Nations High-Level Political
Forum, Turkmenistan presented its Voluntary National Review on the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Periodic consultation
visits of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund delegations confirm
that the economy of Turkmenistan is developing sustainably, at an average annual
GDP growth rate of 6%.
The positive
impact of neutrality on international development is also acknowledged by our
partners worldwide. Turkmenistan proposes collaborative solutions to address
global challenges and promoting peace and prosperity. Hosting large-scale
international events, contests, festivals, and conferences is one of the
instruments used by our country. For example, in 2017 Turkmenistan hosted the
5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat. In
recent years Turkmenistan chaired in international organizations such as International
Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the International Energy Charter, and the
Commonwealth of Independent States. Turkmenistan has bold initiatives in many
areas of development. For example the First Global Conference on Sustainable
Transport of the United Nations was convened in Ashgabat in 2016 for the first
time in history. The Final of the First Caspian Economic Forum held in
2019 was adopted as the of the 73rd session of the United Nations
General Assembly.
The future of
Turkmenistan’s neutrality policy looks bright because it is based on a thorough
understanding of our nation’s peaceful
aspirations and a rigorous analysis of current world affairs. In response to
the need for stronger collaboration among countries, our country will continue
to strengthen the culture of peace and trust around the world. In September of
2019, in the United Nations General Assembly together with 72 countries
Turkmenistan coauthored the resolution “International Year of Peace and Trust,
2021” which underlined that the International Year constitutes a means of
mobilizing international efforts to promote peace and trust among nations on
the basis of political dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation in order
to build sustainable peace, solidarity and harmony. Turkmenistan believes that
neutrality can serve as a powerful instrument of conflict resolution in
international arena and proposes to develop a United Nations Code of Practice
on the effective use of the principles of neutrality, and to organize a broad UN-based multilateral dialogue on the practical
application of the principles of neutrality in prevention of conflicts. All of
these initiatives define the spirit of the events
organized throughout the year of “Turkmenistan – Home of Neutrality”. In this
regard, Turkmenistan
is looking forward to the
forthcoming high-level international conference on “Policy of Neutrality and
its importance in ensuring international peace, security and sustainable
development” on December 12th in Ashgabat which will serve as a productive
platform for the international community to discuss the potential of neutrality
policy as an effective instrument of international peace.
H.E. Mr. Myrat MAMMETALYYEV
Ambassador
Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan
to the Republic of Korea
KOREA FOUNDATION
