On December 12, 2020, at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, within the framework of the International Conference "The Policy of Neutrality and its Role in Ensuring International Peace, Security and Sustainable Development", a plenary session was held on the topic "The Role of Neutrality in Strengthening Peace and Security."
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, Rector of IIR MFA of Turkmenistan Jumamyrad Gurbangeldiyev, representatives of international organizations via video communication, faculty and students of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, representatives of national media.
During the meeting, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Director General of the UN Office at Geneva Tatiana Valovaya, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong, Director of the Conflict Prevention Center of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Central Asia Tuula Yuryola, Former Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Registry of Damage Caused by Israel's Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Vladimir Goryaev, Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central Asia Hans Friedrich Schodder, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Central Asia Ashita Mittal gave speeches.
Speakers at the meeting stressed that the status of positive neutrality of Turkmenistan contributes to the strengthening of peace and security at the regional and global levels.
During his speech, Rafael Mariano Grossi, speaking about the main directions of the IAEA's activities, noted that Turkmenistan, despite the fact that it is a new member state of the agency since 2016, is an important partner and an active participant in the Technical Cooperation Program. He also stressed the importance of the UN General Assembly Resolution on declaring 2021 at the initiative of Turkmenistan as the "International Year of Peace and Confidence", the goal of which is to mobilize international efforts to promote peace, trust, solidarity and harmony.
As Tuula Yuryola noted in her speech, the active participation of Turkmenistan in international affairs and the country's membership in international organizations, including the OSCE, are highly valued. She especially emphasized the established business relations of our state with neighboring countries in promoting peace and security in Central Asia and in the world as a whole.
During his speech, Vladimir Goryaev emphasized that this holiday is definitely his personal holiday, since in 1995 he had a great honor to take a direct part in the preparation of documents related to the UN General Assembly Resolution, and in December of the same year in Ashgabat, during the Khalk Maslakhaty, read from the rostrum the text of the Resolution, in which the international community unanimously confirmed the neutral status of Turkmenistan. It was also noted that over 25 years, Turkmenistan has very clearly and convincingly demonstrated its firm commitment to its obligations. In his speech, he drew the attention of the participants to the huge contribution of our country to the settlement of the inter-Tajik conflict, to stabilizing the provision of comprehensive assistance to Afghanistan, to ensuring world energy security. He noted the strict and consistent observance of the norms and principles of international law by Turkmenistan.
