Speech by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the third Antalya Diplomatic Forum

(Antalya, March 1, 2024)

 

Dear heads and members of delegations!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

First of all, I express my gratitude to the President of the Republic of Türkiýe, my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the invitation to this forum.

I am also grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to speak at a prestigious forum, which, I want to note, is organized at a high level and, at the same time, demonstrates the hospitality of our Turkish brothers.

The modern situation in the system of international relations poses a number of serious questions that affect, in fact, not only politics, economics and law, but also ethical, judicial relations and relations of honor and dignity.

I believe that today these definitions cannot be considered in isolation, they are united, and therefore, in order to maintain political security, sustainable and economic development, it is necessary to maximally involve the peoples and states of the planet, regardless of the historical role, population, volume of gross domestic product, military potential or level of technological development. Their legal rights should be affirmed in order to become a member and subject of the modern and future world order.

In this regard, Turkmenistan’s position is firm and clear: such an issue in such a controversial time can and should be resolved through global efforts, based on the norms of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Turkmenistan, as a responsible member of the world community, undertakes obligations towards achieving this goal.

As is known, in September 2023, at the plenary session of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, our country made a proposal to develop a Global Security Strategy under the auspices of the Community of Nations, which we consider as a system of positions and norms on the structure of interstate and international relations in the 21st century and the mechanism for building it.

And what initiatives does Turkmenistan offer by putting forward such a position?

First of all, under the Global Security Strategy we see a very clear and authoritative position of developing countries, whose political role and influence is only growing, and this is a consistent and positive trend. This situation requires special attention and appropriate consolidation in the strategic plans of the United Nations.

At the same time, in strengthening global security, Turkmenistan considers it expedient to strengthen work through regional organizations and interstate associations, not only in the political aspect, but also in the economic and humanitarian fields.

It is also necessary to listen to the opinions of specialized structures and institutions on this issue and involve them in resolving major issues of global politics.

The United Nations should be assisted in fulfilling the main mission laid down by its founders - ensuring universal peace, equal cooperation and development. This is not just our moral duty, but is directly related to our responsibility to realistically and objectively assess the risks and threats emerging in the world today.

Along with this, I consider it necessary to intensify the interaction of other international structures and associations with the United Nations, as well as to enhance the role and functions of regional representative offices and UN agencies in addressing issues of maintaining peace on the planet and world order.

The main tool in carrying out these tasks is the potential of neutrality and preventive diplomacy, which is an attributable element of ensuring conditions for building a unified dialogue aimed at creating a safe and sustainable global architecture, taking into account the interests of all participants.

A clear confirmation of this is the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, with the headquartered in the capital of neutral Turkmenistan - Ashgabat, which was created by a unanimous decision of the members of the UN Security Council and with the support of all countries in the region. In our opinion, this Center can become an example of a systematic approach to resolving conflicts and getting out of difficult situations - both existing and potential.

Neutrality, its norms and practices must become more effective and broader than the means used today in the international community. We are sure that this will happen.

The status of neutrality provides for non-alignment with blocs, non-use of military force and non-participation in conflicts. And the more countries follow these principles, the more supporters of this approach there are, the less likely conflicts will arise.

In this matter, neutrality can become a positional bridgehead for healthy and responsible forces, individual countries or an alliance of states, which allows one to resolve conflict situations and demonstrate that emerging disagreements, no matter how complex and prolonged they may be, can be resolved through peaceful methods and negotiations.

Recently, Turkmenistan, adhering to this position, put forward an initiative to create a Group of Friends of Neutrality at the United Nations. Dozens of countries have already joined this idea, which I am sure is a well-thought-out decision. The position itself is an awareness of the multi-valued nature of neutrality and the possibilities for building a peaceful and secure future.

 

Dear participants of the international forum!

 

The modern world is not like what it was a couple of decades ago. It has become quite complex, multidimensional, and a number of parallel trends have emerged, and one of them is the increasing influence of countries with economies in transition.

These countries have great demographic, scientific, production and resource potential, and often a geographically determined opportunity, thanks to which, along with other factors, they are assigned a large role as one of the leaders of the world economy, providers of political, social and humanitarian development. I believe that countries with economies in transition should give impetus to a world order that is stable in many respects, but requires restructuring, and introduce new principles and tasks into it.

We are talking, first, about the Sustainable Development Goals. In our opinion, the goal itself is achievable only if the conditions for full participation of the transition economy in the main processes of the modern world order are ensured. In the context of the economic model of the future, the focus should be on the distribution of wealth, means of delivery and areas of application. We must not allow politicization and indiscriminate infringement of new approaches.

The main role in this case is given to two directions, namely, energy connectivity and transport interconnection.

Turkmenistan is guided by a strategic course towards realizing energy connectivity through a transition to low-carbon energy. In this case, we believe that similar approaches are also necessary, which, in essence, guarantees equal and unified favorable conditions for countries that seek to advance along this course.

This will create the conditions for accessing energy-saving technologies and leveraging climatic and geographical advantages to maximize the use of regenerative energy sources. The current time requires coordination and synchronization of traditional energy sources with new ones, which is dictated by the “green agenda”. In this regard, we assign a special role to “green diplomacy” and the predominance of a similar model of cooperation on the planet, which should be based on collective responsibility, overcome corporate and group interests, and serve the future.

Turkmenistan proceeds from the need to form an accessible and fair position on the issue in the field of transport links, where cooperation can be aimed at incorporating new irreplaceable approaches that complement the previous ones.

In this context, Turkmenistan is working on the implementation of Eurasian multimodal transport and transit projects passing through the Caspian and Black Seas, uniting Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region into a single transport system and operating according to agreed norms and criteria.

Of course, such efforts require thorough political and diplomatic assistance, support and decision-making at the level of the United Nations.

All this is spelled out in Turkmenistan’s initiatives on issues of transport sustainability and interaction, which we voiced on the sidelines of the United Nations and are unanimously supported. We urge member states not just to limit themselves to support, but to achieve legalization of the provisions of the Resolutions and move forward in the practical implementation of the innovative ideas and areas of cooperation specified in them.

It is obvious that the formation of an inclusive transport system will significantly increase international trade and investment activity. Based on this, we invite international financial and economic institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, regional structures, to provide sufficient support to international transport projects and participate in making strategic decisions. Turkmenistan is open to negotiations in these areas and is ready to provide all favorable conditions for their participation in the implementation of national and international projects.

The criterion of humanism is another important point, the role of which in transport cooperation is gradually increasing. In the modern world, there are conditions for increasing the mobile, rapid movement of people through new infrastructure and short routes, which opens up additional opportunities to meet their needs for traveling to new countries and maintaining contacts with representatives of other nations. This, in turn, gives a good impetus to the process of establishing humanitarian ties that contribute to the rapprochement and mutual understanding of the peoples of the planet.

In general, speaking about joint work to develop a fundamental model of the economy and sustainable development, Turkmenistan designates it as a transition period, which necessarily includes the following basic theses:

– levelling the level of scientific and technological progress, digitalization and innovative standards of states;

– unconditional priority of environmental criteria in the economy, trade, transport, industry, in the extraction and processing of raw materials and in other areas;

– increasing literacy, knowledge and awareness of the population in the field of ecology;

– assisting people, especially young people, in creating conditions for economic activity, passion for life, collective endeavors, creativity, innovative judgments;

– systematic and permanent attention to the international exchange of knowledge and experience in various sectors, stimulation of scientific and youth diplomacy.

Here, Turkmenistan considers it necessary to actively perform the functions of international organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations, and emphasizes the importance of using their potential in performing mediation functions in such areas as organizing direct negotiations with governments, introducing and promoting international partnership programs.

I would like to say a few words about the climate agenda. Undoubtedly, it remains a priority and determines the course of humanity in this century, and this is an important factor. Climate indicators go beyond the states of pure nature, affecting the development of countries, the well-being of peoples, food security, water and clean air, the implementation of social programs, entire regions and continents. In addition, they have a huge impact on states’ awareness of their obligations as a fair distributor of the benefits and fruits of the modern world, a participant in scientific and technological progress, an equal and significant partner, a source of cheap raw materials and labor.

At the same time, the climate agenda is being promoted today as a signal that determines global security and peaceful coexistence. Turkmenistan is a supporter of systemic monitoring of climate issues, the formation of a methodology for multilateral observation and minimization of the impact of climatic, environmental and man-made disasters as the basis of the structural component of a thorough approach to ensuring security. At the same time, it is important to resolve these issues through the creation of specialized United Nations centers in various parts of the world.

I would like to emphasize that our country has been taking the initiative for several years to create a United Nations Regional Center for Technologies related to Climate Change in Central Asia, which, I am sure, will receive the support of the Community of Nations and international partners.

 

Dear forum participants!

 

At the beginning of my speech I mentioned ethics, justice and honor. These norms, in my opinion, are dictated by everyday concern for the humanization of the development of international relations and for people. And modern diplomacy in this context should adhere to a high humanistic course, take on the function of a regulator of interpersonal relations, interaction between youth and children, through women's organizations, inter-parliamentary, cultural and sports partnerships, since today they are of particular importance and contribute to reducing the degree of political misunderstandings and mistrust in international affairs.

The task and essence of diplomacy is to conduct negotiations, search for common ground, and build strong bridges of interaction. This is exactly what Turkmenistan’s efforts are aimed at.

 

Dear friends!

 

We are always ready to direct the neutrality and accumulated experience of a peacemaker towards making our contribution in the name of the interests of peace and the harmonious development of humanity.