Allow me to express my sincere gratitude for the
honour of speaking from this high rostrum and to
convey on behalf of Turkmenistan’s President,
Saparmurat Niyazov, the best wishes for peace, well-
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being and prosperity to all the peoples of all countries.
Permit me also to congratulate Madam Haya Rashed
Al-Khalifa on her election to the lofty and responsible
post of President and wish her success in guiding the
fruitful work of the sixty-first session of the United
Nations General Assembly.
Neutral Turkmenistan, which marks the fifteenth
anniversary of its independence this year, builds its
relations in the international arena upon the principles
of equal rights and mutually beneficial cooperation
with all States and international organizations.
Cooperation with the United Nations holds a special
place in Turkmenistan’s international relations.
Turkmenistan welcomes constructive interaction
among members of the community of nations in
elaborating new and effective approaches aimed at
preserving and maintaining security and stability in the
world and at achieving the objectives of sustainable
development of countries and peoples.
During the more than 10 years that have passed
since the adoption by the General Assembly of the
resolution on the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan
on 12 December 1995, our State has demonstrated in
practice the fundamental nature of peace-loving and
humanist principles that have formed the basis of
Turkmenistan’s policy since the day it acquired its
independence.
I would like to avail this opportunity to express,
on behalf of Turkmenistan’s President, our appreciation
to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan for
his support of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy and for
his tireless efforts for the welfare of the world.
Today we quite rightly can state that
Turkmenistan, as a neutral State, has been
unswervingly fulfilling its international obligations.
Through its actions, our country demonstrates its
adherence to peace, cooperation, non-accession to
alliances and military blocs, non-interference in the
internal affairs of other States, respect for their
sovereignty and their right to their own paths of
development.
It is on the basis of peace, humanism and mutual
respect of interests that Turkmenistan approaches
issues of international cooperation, giving top priority
to interaction with the United Nations and its structures
in the strategic areas of partnership. There is no
disputing the fact that the United Nations has been and
continues to be the largest and most prestigious
international Organization that has been entrusted with
the coordinating role in world affairs and on which
humankind pins its hopes for peaceful development.
Turkmenistan welcomes efforts by the United
Nations, the General Assembly and the Security
Council aimed at achieving goals of sustainable
development, as well as meeting the challenges set by
the 2005 Summit, which determined how the world
community should address the most pressing problems
affecting stability, humanitarian issues and
strengthening and improving the work of the United
Nations.
We believe that the tangible results of the
collective efforts aimed at finding the best ways for the
United Nations to proceed include such practical steps
as the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission,
creation of the Human Rights Council and other
constructive steps. Improvement in the work of the
Security Council is clearly one of the most important
elements in completing the reform of the Organization.
We firmly believe that it is essential to carry out this
task; it is made necessary because of the objective
processes of international development, increasing
interaction among States and increased need for
combining regional and global problems.
The United Nations is the most important
international structure, where comprehensive account
has to be taken of all factors underlying the processes
in the world. Turkmenistan advocates strengthening the
role of the United Nations and its major bodies, when
decisions concerning the most pressing problems of
today are taken.
In this context, our country supports expansion of
Security Council membership on the basis of the
greatest possible agreement among United Nations
Member States. We also support initiating more
effective and constructive dialogue between the
Security Council and the General Assembly. We
believe that progress will continue in the reforms
started at the United Nations. Turkmenistan also
welcomes expansion of the number of States
represented in United Nations structures and
institutions, while emphasizing the importance of
geographical distribution; this is in line with the basic
values of our Organization.
Turkmenistan’s steadfast position is that it
favours strengthening the United Nations in the
international arena as the highest international forum
35 06-53615
for establishing a just and humane world order.
Turkmenistan fundamentally advocates increasing the
peacebuilding potential of the Organization, in
accordance with the realities of global development.
Therefore, our country devotes great attention to
maintaining most close contacts with offices of United
Nations specialized agencies, whose importance is
continually growing today.
One of Turkmenistan’s main achievements since
independence has been the primacy of the principle
whereby each nation has the right to chose its own path
of development and acceptable form of State system.
This is an essential condition for stability and
sustainable and progressive development in all spheres
of society. Today, independent and neutral
Turkmenistan is confidently advancing along its
chosen path. Annually, our country’s economic growth
surpasses 20 per cent, with the volume of production
per capita exceeding $8,000.
Turkmenistan is celebrating its 15th anniversary
as a State that has guaranteed its own food
independence. It provides its people with free natural
gas, electricity, water, salt and low, in fact, symbolic
prices for bread, utilities and public transport services,
gasoline and so forth. All this is a tangible result of the
long-term programme of social and economic reform
carried out in our country under the leadership of the
Head of the nation. Under this programme, over 60 per
cent of the State budget is allocated to social spending.
As a democratic State based on the rule of law,
Turkmenistan is unwaveringly implementing the
highest principles allowing people to express their will.
In this regard, the Turkmen people possess a vast
historical experience of democratic traditions, which
are organically and progressively finding their way
today into the social and political life of the country
and are reflected in the continual enjoyment by citizens
of their constitutional rights and freedoms. In this
respect, 2006 was a significant year for Turkmenistan.
In accordance with the decision of the highest
representative body of Government, the People’s
Council, our country held elections to local self-
government on an open, democratic and competitive
basis. As of now, this practice is being implemented at
other levels of Government. In this, we see the basis
for consistent and irreversible processes of
democratization, with the ever-increasing involvement
of citizens and public organizations in managing the
country. In Turkmenistan, this process is advancing in
a natural way, thereby instilling in the people the sense
that they are masters of their land and that they are
responsible for their destiny and the destiny of their
country.
In terms of preserving peace and security,
non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is
one of the most acute problems on today’s global
agenda. Our country fully supports efforts by the world
community in this area and participates in their
implementation, both at the national and international
levels. We are taking concrete, practical steps in this
direction.
It should be especially emphasized that, at the
end of October 2005, the People’s Council of
Turkmenistan adopted a Declaration in support of the
initiatives of international organizations against the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Also, on
8 September, Turkmenistan, together with other States
of the region, signed a treaty creating a Nuclear-
Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.
By these actions, our country is demonstrating in
practice its firm commitment to the processes of
disarmament and non-proliferation. In this connection
we pledge our readiness to implement the initiative of
the President of Turkmenistan — which was supported
by the United Nations Secretary-General — to
establish a United Nations regional centre for
preventive diplomacy in Central Asia. All the
necessary conditions and appropriate infrastructure are
already available in the capital of our State —
Ashgabat.
The President returned to the Chair.
Turkmenistan has demonstrated its existing
potential and capabilities through its active cooperation
with the United Nations in organizing major
international forums and conferences to discuss
pressing problems involving global and regional issues.
Through practical multilateral dialogue we have
become convinced that the prevention of potential
conflicts requires early warning of emerging situations,
a broad-based analysis and elaboration of preventive
strategies. Therefore, Turkmenistan will continue to
make its contribution to improving multilateral
cooperation in this important area in partnership with
the United Nations and its organs, while recognizing
the great importance of international experience in
preventive diplomacy.
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Turkmenistan is a principled and determined
participant in the struggle against the threat of
terrorism. We regard terrorism in all its forms as a
phenomenon that must be placed outside the
framework of human civilization. We are convinced
that in order to combat terrorism today we need the
cooperation of all States, including with regard to such
important issues as cooperation in the search for and
extradition of the organizers and participants of
terrorist acts, as well as their collaborators.
Turkmenistan fully supports the efforts of the
Secretary-General in elaborating a global strategy in
the fight against terrorism and stands ready to provide
practical assistance to the international community in
its efforts in that direction.
The United Nations is a unique reflection of
actual changes occurring in the world and it has clearly
demonstrated the will and desire of States for
cooperation within a stable environment. The strategic
direction of reforms and the chosen path towards
qualitative improvement in the work of the community
of nations has become the defining vector of those
changes.
Turkmenistan views the reform of the United
Nations as a road map towards the further
strengthening and enhancement of its authority. We are
convinced that the United Nations has always been and
remains the most universal international structure and
the most important guarantor of global stability,
security and development. Turkmenistan will continue
to cooperate more closely with the United Nations in
the future with a view to helping it to fully display its
enormous potential.