First, I have the honour to convey words of greeting
and wishes of peace and prosperity to the Member
States and their people on behalf of the President of
Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. I should
like to congratulate Mr. Sam Kutesa on his election
to the post of President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-ninth session and wish him success in his
forthcoming responsibilities. I should also like to
express my appreciation to Mr. John Ashe, President
at the sixty-eighth session, for his skillful and effective
work in this post.
The current session of the General Assembly
is taking place against the background of difficult
processes that we see in various regions of the world.
Assessment of these processes and their causal
relationships may differ, but it is apparent that in view
of prevailing conditions the world community needs to
apply balanced, sober and a highly responsible approach
to emerging and potential challenges and threats.
The peaceful resolution of these conflicts must be
achieved by diplomatic approaches. It is an objective
and imperative requirement of our times. Experience
once again vividly demonstrates that there is no military
solution to the international and internal conflicts in
today’s world. It is our firm conviction that the role of
the United Nations is acquiring decisive importance.
The United Nations must play the leading role in
reconciling contradictions, preserving global stability,
and strengthening peoples’ faith in international
institutions and legal frameworks.
The Security Council is called on to assume a
special responsibility. Its functions and authority
under the United Nations Charter cannot be questioned
or used to satisfy some individual or group interest.
The Security Council is and must remain the only
universal legitimate body for maintaining global peace
and stability and safeguardingthe political and moral
foundations of the modern global architecture.
Turkmenistan has unceasingly and consistently
advocated the expansion and maximum use of the
United Nations peacekeeping potential. Today, the
need for this is especially relevant. Therefore, our
country proposes to actively begin the development
of common approaches with a view to reducing and,
in future, completely eliminating all potential risks of
confrontation.
As the Assembly will recall, the President of
Turkmenistan stated at the sixty-sixth session that it
was necessary to adopt a United Nations declaration
on the priority use of political and diplomatic means
to solve international problems and their further
consideration at the General Assembly. We are ready
to engage in meaningful and constructive discussions
with all interested parties on this issue.
The logic of the development of global processes in
the sphere of security dictates the need for fundamental
strengthening of regional cooperation mechanisms.
For Central Asia, such cooperation should ensure
favourable conditions for preserving and maintaining
lasting peace and stability and for successful responses
to terrorist threats, extremism, organized crime and
drug trafficking.
In this connection, we consider it relevant to create
a standing mechanism of political consultations to
coordinate steps aimed at maintaining security in this
area, as well as preventing and neutralizing conflict
situations and combating new threats. We propose that
serious consideration be given to the idea of convening
a forum on security and cooperation in Central Asia
under the auspices of the United Nations as a starting
platform for further work in this area.
We stand ready to host such a forum in 2015 in
Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat. As the host country
of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive
Diplomacy for Central Asia, Turkmenistan advocates
multilateral support for its work, which has proven to
be highly effective. It is not by chance that in August
2012 the United Nations Security Council emphasized
the great importance of preventive diplomacy and
early settlement of disputes and in this connection
supported the efforts of the United Nations Regional
Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. We
are convinced that in the context of current and future
developments of political, economic, environmental
and humanitarian processes in the Central Asian region
and neighbouring areas, the mandate of the Centre will
be especially relevant and necessary. We therefore call
for more active involvement of that Centre in various
aspects of regional problems with the support of
Member States.
Turkmenistan also believes that it is essential to
establish a more focused and substantive interaction
between the Regional Centre and international
organizations, including the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth
of Independent States, and other bodies, with a view
to elaborating common approaches to such current
issues as transnational threats, terrorism, illegal drug
trafficking, environmental challenges, management of
transboundary water and energy resources, and regional
security in the context of the situation in Afghanistan.
In speaking of this, I wish to underline that the
settlement of the situation in Afghanistan is a key
factor in achieving regional peace and stability. It is
essential to support the positive processes that are
taking place in this country and to provide the Afghan
people with real assistance in achieving reconciliation
and accord. That can be achieved only through peaceful
negotiation. There are no other options here.
As a neutral country and Afghanistan’s immediate
neighbour, Turkmenistan offered its political space for
the organization of a broad-based inter-Afghan national
dialogue under the auspices and active involvement of
the United Nations. We already have joint experience
in conducting negotiations in such a format. We believe
that it could be used today as well. Such dialogue,
in addition to purely political aspects, implies the
discussion of a full set of measures aimed at providing
specific economic support to Afghanistan and the
involvement of that country in regional integration
processes and future infrastructure projects.
For many years Turkmenistan has provided
assistance to its neighbour in building social facilities
and initiated the implementation of major transport
and energy projects with Afghanistan’s participation.
In particular, I note the project envisaging construction
of the Turkmenistan/Pakistan/India gas pipeline,
preparations for which are nearing the final stages.
Another major project, which was launched in May
last year, involves the construction of a Turkmenistan/
Afghanistan/Tajikstan railway. We consider these
projects to be key in rebuilding the economy and
social spheres of Afghanistan, and enabling it to make
thetransition to a peaceful and creative existence.
For a number of years our country has consistently
supplied electric power to Afghanistan on highly
favourable terms. In the near future, thanks to the
commissioning of new power-generating capacities
in Turkmenistan, we are prepared to increase the
volume of power supplied to Afghanistan many-fold.
As in the past, we provide purpose-oriented training
of specialists for the Afghan economy, health care
and social spheres. We will continue to provide all-
encompassing help to the fraternal Afghan people. It is
our principled position.
Turkmenistan believes that the irreversible nature
of the disarmament process is the most important
prerequisite for the peaceful and creative development
of the region and the establishment of a climate of trust,
openness and cooperation in Central Asia. Our country
proceeds from the assumption that the inert model of the
past century, which was based on the constant build-up
of armaments, has become irrelevant in today’s world.
Furthermore, it considerably hampers and sometimes
directly undermines efforts by States towards social
and economic development, the enhancement of
people’s standards of living, and the development of
successful economic cooperation. It is our conviction
that the fewer weapons there are in the world, the more
stable and peaceful its development will be, and the
more trust and understanding among countries and
peoples will deepen.
We call for consistent strengthening of international
and regional cooperation in reducing the arsenals
of weapons of mass destruction and the effective
implementation of the non-proliferation regime. As a
party to the basic disarmament treaties and conventions
of the United Nations, Turkmenistan intends to continue
to provide support to all the relevant processes.In this
connection, while emphasizing the landmark nature of
the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the
2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that was
held in Vienna in 2012, Turkmenistan believes that it
is key to continue the current dialogue on measures
aimed at expanding the international legal framework
of non-proliferation.
This dialogue becomes especially relevant in view
of the practical steps that are being taken in order to
implement the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
in Central Asia. Our country stands ready to engage in
constructive disarmament cooperation with the Office
of the Deputy Secretary-General and to participate in
the implementation of a number of initiatives in this
regard. One of the practical steps in the implementation
of measures for disarmament could be the improvement
of existing United Nations structures. In this
context, we believe that it will be useful to consider
the establishment of a United Nations subregional
disarmament centre in Central Asia.
Turkmenistan looks forward to the logical
continuation at this session of the broad-based dialogue
on energy security as one of the fundamental elements
of the United Nations sustainable development strategy
initiated by the President of Turkmenistan. As is well
known, in May 2013 the General Assembly unanimously
adopted resolution 67/263 entitled “Reliable and stable
transit of energy and its role in ensuring sustainable
development and international cooperation”. The
resolution was sponsored by 71 Member States. The
adoption of the resolution was yet another major and
consecutive step in advancing international cooperation
in the sphere of energy. We believe that adherence to
the letter and spirit of that document should acquire a
substantive and purpose-oriented nature.
In this connection, we call on Member States and
the Secretariat to actively undertake consultations on
the practical implementation of the provisions of this
resolution. In particular, we note the institutionalization
of the work of the international group of experts on
energy cooperation and nominating representatives
of Member States to that group. In December, the
first international meeting of experts will take place
in Turkmenistan. It is designed to launch systematic
work on the establishment of a new legal framework of
cooperation in sustainable energy. We invite Member
States and all interested parties to take part in it.
The outcome document of the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de
Janeiro, entitled “The future we want” (resolution
66/288, annex), emphasizes the central role of transport
and mobility in sustainable development. We fully
share that approach. Moreover, Turkmenistan is
convinced that it is high time to undertake systematic
global cooperation and strategic planning in transport
as a separate, long-term area of United Nations activity.
In early September, Turkmenistan’s capital hosted
a high-level international conference dedicated to
the role of transport and transit corridors in ensuring
international cooperation, stability and sustainable
development. The Ashgabat Declaration adopted at
the end of the Conference reflects the need to develop
new modern criteria for cooperation in this sphere
that are oriented towards diversification, security,
accessibility, environmental safety of the transportation
infrastructure, and its maximum correspondence to the
realities of current global development, taking into
account the needs of developing countries, including
landlocked States. As the President of Turkmenistan
emphasized in his address to the participants at that
conference, the global transport strategy of the twenty-
first century is a strategy for integration, combining
geographical and infrastructural opportunities with
the technical and technological potentials of States and
regions.
The very fact of the convening of that conference
was a momentous event, signalling a comprehensive
approach to the development of transport and transit
corridors based on constructive and real partnerships.
Our country has submitted the Ashgabat Declaration
to the Secretariat for its distribution among Member
States as an official document. We hope that it will be
studied with interest and that there will be further use of
this Declaration in international agreements, including
those of the sixty-ninth session of the Assembly.
With a view to the accelerated development of
international transport infrastructure, Turkmenistan
advocates closer cooperation and partnerships with
specialized bodies of the United Nations, first and
foremost the Economic Commission for Europe and
the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific. We are convinced that such cooperation
corresponds to the logic of modern development and
international cooperation in transport in the Eurasian
continent.
Turkmenistan fully supports the decisions taken
during the Summits on Climate Change held in
Copenhagen and Cancún, at the seventeenth Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change held in Durban, and
at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development. We look forward to the continuation of
constructive international dialogue on these issues. We
are convinced that it is necessary to consistently combine
efforts at the international, regional and national levels.
In this context, we welcome the Secretary-General’s
efforts to implement the agreed-upon decisions and
his sense of utmost responsibility in his approach
to international cooperation with respect to climate
change issues. Our country recently launched a number
of specific initiatives aimed at enhancing regional and
global cooperation in this sphere.
I wish to single out Turkmenistan’s humanitarian
efforts as a member of major United Nations
humanitarian agencies. Turkmenistan takes practical
steps to ensure the rights and freedoms of its citizens.
In particular, our country devotes major attention
to solving issues relating to the rights of refugees,
migrants and stateless persons. Last June, in our
capital, the Government of Turkmenistan, along with
the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, organized the International Conference
on Migration and Statelessness. Upon its conclusion,
the Conference adopted a declaration that spells out
urgent tasks to improve multilateral cooperation,
strengthen international legal frameworks, and reform
national legislation on migrants andstateless persons
and their legal and social protection, material support
and adaptation. Turkmenistan will endeavour at this
session to translate the main provisions of this outcome
document into reality. We reaffirm our desire and
readiness to continue close cooperation with the IOM,
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, Member States and all stakeholders.
Our country views the sixty-ninth session as a
major step towards consolidating international efforts
to resolve key issues on the global agenda, to reaffirm
the leading role of the United Nations in maintaining
and strengthening universal peace and stability and to
agree on sustainable development goals. We reaffirm
our strong commitment to cooperation with the United
Nations, our readiness to actively participate and
promote its peacekeeping, political and diplomatic
endeavours and to implement its projects and
programmes in the economic, social, environmental,
humanitarian and other spheres.
For Turkmenistan, partnership with the United
Nations has been and continues to be a strategic priority,
a conceptual and practical foundation for our activities
in the international arena.