Turkmenistan, 2002

Let me first of all convey greetings and wishes of

peace and prosperity to the people of your countries

from the President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat

Niyazov.

Allow me to congratulate the President on the

occasion of his election to such a high and responsible

post and wish him success in the organization of the

fruitful work of the fifty-seventh session of the General

Assembly.

I would also like to welcome the Swiss

Confederation and Timor-Leste on their membership

this year in the United Nations.

From the first days of its independent

development, neutral Turkmenistan has cooperated

closely with the United Nations and considers that

cooperation the main direction for its foreign policy.

The key issue for Turkmenistan as a neutral

country in such conditions is cooperation in the name

of peace and security and the well-being and prosperity

of its people. We constantly feel that we have the

support of the United Nations for our foreign policy

initiatives aimed at strengthening these goals. Our

commitment to these international obligations as a

permanently neutral State remains unchanged.

The importance of promoting the role of the

United Nations is constantly becoming more obvious

against the background of current developments of

both global and regional processes where the

concentration of collective efforts and the adoption of

decisions that take into account various interests are

required. Turkmenistan stands for strengthening and

broadening the role of the United Nations in the

solution not only of global problems, but also in the

collective discussion of regional issues and for a more

extensive use of the potential of the United Nations and

its institutions in proposing and implementing foreign

policy initiatives.

We see huge opportunities in the close

cooperation of the United Nations and its specialized

bodies in the implementation of the large-scale national

projects. In this context we express our gratitude for

the cooperation of the leadership of the United Nations

and its specialized agencies, such as the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations

Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations

Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the United

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),

the United Nations International Drug Control

Programme (UNDCCP) and others. In cooperation with

these agencies, the Government of Turkmenistan is

carrying out a number of large projects of social and

economic orientation that are producing specific results

in the areas of health care, social affairs, education,

environment and other areas.

More than a year has passed since the tragic

events of 11 September 2001, which forced us to

evaluate the issues of security of our people and our

States through a qualitatively new scale of

measurement and has confirmed the necessity to

consolidate efforts in this direction.

In this context the region of Central Asia has

come to the forefront of the world's attention. In many

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respects the prospects for peace and security will

depend on the way multilateral dialogue develops on

these issues in the region.

Turkmenistan attaches foremost importance to the

role of the United Nations in invigorating regional and

interregional dialogue in the search for solutions to

emerging problems. In this connection I would like to

draw your attention to the initiative of the President of

Turkmenistan in creating a regional consultative

council of the heads of Government of the countries of

Central Asia. This would be a high-level interstate

body for regular consultations and the development of

joint decisions on matters that touch directly upon the

destinies of the States in the region and the real needs

of their people.

Primarily, these issues would include trade and

economic interaction, energy supply, cross-border

trade, water use, transportation and humanitarian

cooperation. We believe that multilateral consultations

on the part of heads of State will contribute to the

development and implementation of agreed actions by

the parties, on the basis of mutual interests, and will

enable the creation of a maximally effective system of

rational interaction.

In this regard, the initiative of the President of

Turkmenistan, Mr. Niyazov, to hold an international

conference in Turkmenistan on economic cooperation

in Central and South Asia, with the participation of

representatives from the region, the United States,

Russia, China, Japan, countries of the European Union,

other interested States, and international financial and

economic institutions, can be considered to be very

timely.

Such a forum will promote a new system of

economic ties between West and East based on joint

and equal cooperation of States. Its main goal should

be creation of the most favourable conditions for trade,

investment activities, and the introduction of modern

technology. Moreover, holding such an international

conference will make it possible for developed

countries to assess the real potential for industrial and

social development of States in Central and South Asia.

The beginning of work on the trans-Afghan gas

pipeline projects using the “Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-

Pakistan” route is of great importance in developing

regional cooperation. The agreement for the

construction of the new gas pipeline was signed in May

of this year, in Islamabad, by the Presidents of

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Turkmenistan welcomes the interest shown in this

project by large companies, financial and industrial

groups, and first of all by the Asian Development

Bank, which is taking an active part in the negotiating

process for the implementation of the trans-Afghan gas

pipeline project.

The trans-Afghan gas pipeline is a project on an

international scale that has colossal social, economic

and political significance, primarily from the point of

view of strengthening stability and security in the

region. The trans-Afghan gas pipeline, of which more

than 700 kilometres would be laid through

Afghanistan, has, in addition to its economic

component, an invaluable social and humanitarian

significance. The construction of the gas pipeline

would create jobs for more than 12 thousand Afghans

and would also offer a new social infrastructure for

Afghanistan.

In this connection we call on the United Nations

to assist us in the effective implementation of this

project. Turkmenistan had suggested earlier, from the

same rostrum, the development and adoption, under the

United Nations auspices, of an international convention

on operating regimes and guarantees for interstate

pipelines. Such an instrument would, in our view, allow

us to create a reliable political and legal mechanism for

providing the safe transportation of critical raw

materials to world markets.

Turkmenistan's foreign policy of positive

neutrality is aimed at ensuring secure development and

cooperation aimed at social revival in the countries of

the region. This entails the creation of new workplaces

and fighting against poverty, in other words, everything

that today embraces the human dimension.

Turkmenistan supports the conclusions reached at

the recent Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable

Development. We feel that solutions to current world

problems, especially in the humanitarian, social and

environmental areas, will require a new approach to the

human dimension in world politics.

In the 21st century, the notion of sustainable

development has acquired a qualitatively new meaning

based on steady and stable economic growth. On of the

important aspects of sustainable development is

maintaining a balance between, on one hand, industrial

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and technological progress and, on the other, protection

of the environment. The realization of this necessity is

especially relevant today, when this balance is

breached throughout the world.

The international community is striving to

prevent negative, technology-generated consequences

on the environment. A vivid example of that is the

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change. Turkmenistan, having

acceded to that important international instrument, is

taking an active role in implementing its norms and

principles, and is cooperating with international

organizations.

In the 21st century, the problem connected with

the huge deposits of hydrocarbon resources in the basin

of the Caspian Sea, which involves not only the

countries of the region but also many other countries

and multinationals, has come to the attention of the

world. It is now known that the deposits of oil and gas

in the Caspian Sea are the most important energy

resources of the 21st century. Their efficient

development, along with the creation of the necessary

pipeline infrastructure for bringing energy resources to

the world markets, will ensure significant economic

growth for many States and ensure the well-being of

their people. It is obvious that many countries are

interested in the security of the energy resources

transit. The United Nations should play an important

role in this process.

The first summit meeting of the Caspian littoral

States in Ashgabat in April of this year, on the

initiative of the President of Turkmenistan, could be

considered as a qualitatively new stage in this process

of agreeing on and developing a mutually acceptable

solution to the Caspian problem. At this historic

summit, Presidents expressed the will of their State and

people, which is to ensure that the Caspian Sea be and

remain a sea of friendship and peace. The result of the

summit is that the Caspian theme was openly discussed

for the first time at such a high level. Strong agreement

was reached that problems are to be resolved

peacefully and constructively. Thus, the first step

towards a common goal — the determination of the

status of the Caspian Sea — was made.

It is obvious today that effective cooperation and

activities relating to the Caspian Sea as a whole are

directly connected with ensuring stability in the

Caspian region. Turkmenistan hopes that the Caspian

region will achieve peace, stability and durable

cooperation on the basis of justice and mutual respect.

We need collective efforts in order to solve the

problems of the international community. The solution

of these problems is possible, not through collective

efforts alone, but also through the assumption by each

member of the international community of its

individual role and responsibilities. This is the logic

guiding the political behaviour of Turkmenistan in its

pursuit of the goals of strengthening peace and

economic, social and cultural development. Our

country is always ready for constructive partnership.

The United Nations can rest assured in that respect.