Turkmenistan, 2006

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-

06-53615 34

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.

06-53615 36

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.