Turkmenistan, 1999

First of all,

permit me to congratulate the Minister for Foreign Affairs

of Namibia, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab on his election to the

presidency of the General Assembly. I would also like to

express words of gratitude to Mr. Didier Opertti Badán for

his dynamic and competent work during the entire course

of the preceding session.

For the United Nations, last year — if it were

measured by the magnitude of military and political

upheavals — would be equal to a calendar year that thrust

upon mankind natural calamities that had catastrophic

effects on people. In many respects it was a year from

which we had to draw lessons. It made us ponder seriously

the political survival of States and the physical protection

of people. It made us take a fresh look at the system of

international relations, which was helpless in the face of the

new challenges of the times. Nowadays we can no longer

write everything off as costs of the cold war.

That is why we have paid special attention to the part

of the Secretary-General’s report in which he tried to give

a analysis of present-day conflicts. Those conflicts, because

of the nature of their origins and the dynamics of their

evolution, did not always yield to traditional forms and

methods for their successful resolution. There is a fact

described in the report that requires special consideration,

namely, that over the past decade 90 per cent of armed

conflicts took place inside States and not between them.

This phenomenon shows how relevant the problem of

statehood is, as well as defining the correct orientation, in

choosing the road to development in today’s world. The

preservation of national unity, inter-ethnic harmony and

social guarantees, coupled with a reasonable pace of

reform, can today be considered as the basic universal

criteria for ensuring the peaceful development of every

nation. This statement is substantiated by the experience

of our newly independent State, which managed to avoid

many cataclysms in the difficult period of its emerging

statehood.

This is the eighth time that Turkmenistan has taken

part in a session of the General Assembly as an

independent subject of international relations. Without the

active support of our friends, it would be hard to imagine

the state of Turkmenistan’s development today, which

allows us to look with optimism at the future and to

establish long-term programmes of social and economic

development. In this regard, we are grateful to our close

neighbours — Iran, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, China and

India — and our partners in the Organization for Security

and Cooperation in Europe. From a conceptual point of

view, the system of Turkmenistan’s international relations

is based on sincerity and reciprocity of mutual interests,

neutrality and non-alignment, which form the two pillars

of our statehood.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to

express words of gratitude to the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) and to emphasize its

large-scale activities, which merit all-round support. The

Government of Turkmenistan, together with UNDP, has

undertaken a number of major national projects that have

yielded concrete results in the reforms of the social

sphere, public health, the system of education and other

areas. Turkmenistan intends to continue to maintain close

ties with that important agency of the United Nations,

with the aim of identifying and implementing new

opportunities for cooperation. In view of the major

development tasks lying ahead, UNDP personifies for us

the United Nations system as a whole.

Purposeful cooperation between specialized agencies

of the United Nations and national Governments makes it

possible to identify the main parameters of the conflict-

prevention strategy in each individual region. Ever-

increasing flows of refugees and displaced persons to

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neighbouring countries from conflict areas and zones of

national disasters are fraught with a certain potential for

tension. As regards this important matter, we attach great

importance to the work of the Office of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The

Government of Turkmenistan, together with UNHCR, is

implementing an ad hoc programme of assistance to

refugees that is based on a joint plan of action.

In close relation to the above subject, I would like to

draw attention to the situation in Afghanistan, which

continues to cause serious concern. Historically,

Turkmenistan had close fraternal ties with that long-

suffering nation. Hence, we have a sincere interest in the

re-establishment of peace and the restoration of

Afghanistan. Since the first days of independence,

Turkmenistan built its relations with Afghanistan on the

basis of mutual trust and respect. Our position is absolutely

transparent and clear: neutrality with respect to the parties

to the conflict; a constructive attitude towards and a due

accounting of the realities of today’s Afghanistan; a desire

to engage conflicting parties in a dialogue; and creative

economic reconstruction programmes.

It is precisely this desire that underpinned our

initiative of holding two rounds of direct inter-Afghan talks

in Ashgabat early this year, which were supported by the

two key factions and bore fruit, giving hope for the future.

However, in our opinion, this process did not receive

adequate support from the outside, from those who are

more prone to making declarations of good intentions and

advancing their own interests rather than taking practical

steps to help the Afghan people. Turkmenistan has been

working on the Afghan issue and will continue to work on

it under any format of international cooperation, including

the mechanism of the “six plus two” group under the

auspices of the United Nations, as that mechanism

possesses an enormous untapped potential. We all have

grounds to raise this issue because we have actually

encountered a situation that may not be the best one for the

United Nations, which has financed a Special Mission in

Afghanistan — a Mission that until now has failed to

produce any practical results. Smoothly written reports

should not substitute for real political work in the field.

We share a commonly held view that the United

Nations system needs rational reform in the twenty-first

century. The Millennium Assembly, on the theme of the

United Nations in the twenty-first century, will become a

major landmark in this process, and Turkmenistan

wholeheartedly supports the idea of holding such a session.

That Assembly could provide a unique opportunity to

identify the problems that we will face in the future and

to undertake a creative process of strengthening and

enhancing this unique institution.

Statements by heads of delegations at the current

session contain many ideas regarding the need to reform

the United Nations and the Security Council and to

balance the right of veto, among many others.

Turkmenistan adheres to the view that while seeking to

improve the situation, the most important thing is to take

a well-considered and balanced approach to the solution

of the issues concerning the destiny of the Organization,

rather than cause it harm by becoming hostage to

emotions. It is our opinion that while encountering some

glitches in the work of the mechanism, we should not

rush into its complete replacement but should try to

properly diagnose the weakness in the available resources.

It may be a case of the problem not being in the system

itself, but rather in those who are called to represent it at

various levels.

Turning once again to the problem of the elaboration

and implementation of a system to prevent conflicts and

ensure safe development, I would like to emphasize that

the foreign policy course of neutrality pursued from the

outset by Turkmenistan has always been aimed at

precisely this goal. It is explicitly mentioned in the

Secretary-General’s report that the struggle for control

over economic resources is one of the main causes of

conflicts. Therefore the implementation of the foreign

policy initiative concerning Turkmenistan’s permanent

neutrality, in the form of a special resolution adopted by

the General Assembly on 12 December 1995, has a very

important meaning in this regard. The development of the

extremely rich hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian

basin is tied to the interests not only of regional countries

but also to those of major Powers and transnational

companies. Turkmenistan’s neutrality is aimed at a

situation of combined rather than conflicting interests.

We believe that in today’s world there can, and

should, exist zones of interest, but we resolutely oppose

the concept of spheres of influence. The issue concerning

the status of the Caspian Sea is highly relevant in this

respect. We have on numerous occasions stated our

position on this issue: we would like to prevent the work

on the status of the Caspian Sea from turning from an

international law problem into a political problem. In any

case, we consider it appropriate at this forum to draw

attention to this issue, so that we can avoid the

politicization of issues concerning the legal definition and

development of the energy resources of the sea and

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underline Turkmenistan’s readiness for constructive

partnership and clearly defined reasonable compromises.

The highly complex nature of the tasks facing States

Members of the United Nations is clear. The momentous

challenges confronting the Organization are commensurate

with the hopes of people around the globe, who believe that

real change for the better will take place with the change of

epochs. This concerns both large and small nations, the rich

and the poor, newly independent and long-existing States.

We all face challenges that can be overcome only by means

of collective efforts, recognizing at the same time individual

responsibilities. Such is the logic of Turkmenistan’s

political behaviour and its readiness to be an active Member

of the Organization.