High-level talks in Ashgabat confirmed the UN’s interest in expanding cooperation with Neutral Turkmenistan

During the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid particular attention to the cooperation on the Sustainable Development Goals, including climate change and environment protection. The Government of Turkmenistan jointly with the UN work on opening the Office for the partnership in the sphere of sustainable development. The Turkmen leader underlined that the joint work of Turkmenistan and the UN in the sphere of environment and climate change would be an important component of work of this structure.

Turkmenistan chairs the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in 2017-2019. Underlining that three stages of the Programme on the Aral Sea Basin have been completed as of today, and currently the work on its fourth stage is carried out, the President of Turkmenistan emphasized the importance of the focused and complex international approach towards this work and the systematic participation of the UN in this project.

The President noted that the Government of Turkmenistan put forward the initiative on the creation of the UN Special Programme on the Aral Sea that will specify the plans for the stabilization and improvement of the ecological situation in the region. The Turkmen leader suggested considering this issue during the meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council within the framework of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed the condition and prospects of cooperation included in the global agenda.

The provision of stability and security in the Central Asia undoubtedly was and remains to be the priority of collaboration of Turkmenistan with the UN, Turkmen Leader has said, having noted that the most important role in implementation of these tasks, counteracting to new challenges and threats, is given to preventative diplomacy.

Turkmenistan will continue its active participation in the activity held by the UN Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy for the Central Asia. This is under the UN aegis, the practice shows, the measures of preventative diplomacy are able to work efficiently and bring the results, the Head of the State noted.

Unsettled political situation in Afghanistan remains urgent problem. “It is necessary to render real support to Afghanistan in achievement of peace and harmony, - the President of Turkmenistan said. – It can be achieved only by peaceful negotiation methods. There no other solutions”.

Turkmenistan actively supports Afghanistan’s integration to economic processes. The construction of the railroad and energy supplies to the neighbouring country was given as an example by the Head of the State.

We also started implementation of large-scale project, the construction of Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India gas main, the President of Turkmenistan mentioned, having expressed the confidence that it would pay handsome economic dividends to our southern neighbour.

Effective counteracting of the terrorism was named by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as the most important goal of cooperation with the UN. Having noted that High-Level Dialog “The Central Asia – the United Nations” on realization of the UN Global Antiterrorism Strategy would take place in Ashgabat today, the Head of the State said that the main objective is to develop coordinated activities aimed at elimination of the root causes of the terrorism. This is about establishment of the conditions for stable social and economic development of certain regions of the planet, growth of populations’ occupancy, its access to education, culture, etc.

During the negotiations, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invites the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the opening ceremony of V Asian Games. We pay not only sports but also large political and social importance to these competitions, - the President of Turkmenistan said. Today, sports becomes more important element of human cooperation, the tool of mutual understanding and tolerance in relations between the states and the nations, people of different confessions and beliefs. According to the Head of the State, Asian Games will be the starting point for wide and long-term cooperation of Turkmenistan and the UN in new direction - the sports sphere. The President had informed, that the forthcoming Games will be the first competitions of such level in the history of the Central Asia; together with the sportsmen from 45 Asian countries, 19 national teams of the Oceania will take part in the competitions.

The head of state said that he had informed the high-ranking guest about the priority plans of the country and the directions of cooperation with the UN, which, in the opinion of the Turkmen side, require concentrated and purposeful cooperation. Among them are the maintenance of peace and security in the global and regional contexts, partnership in the transport and energy sectors, the fight against terrorism, interaction in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and a number of other contemporary issues.

The distinguished guest had also visited the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat where he had met with his staff of the Center. Expressing sincere gratitude to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for providing all possible support in the Center's work for all these years, the high guest expressed his confidence that the UN-Turkmenistan cooperation will continue to develop dynamically in this important direction, as well as in other priority areas.