Turkmenistan : The trends and events of the last few years indicate serious changes in international and interstate relations, the intensification of global and regional contradictions, and the emergence of conflicts in various parts of the world.
The cause-and-effect relationships of these phenomena are diverse, but it
is obvious that the defining characteristic of the current state of world politics is a lack of trust and significant differences in views and
perceptions regarding the validity of one model of world order or another.
All this represents a very complex situation, capable of moving the entire
international agenda back into the past, to an era of bloc and civilizational
confrontation, significantly complicating multilateral cooperation in
addressing new challenges and threats, achieving sustainable development
goals, ensuring equitable distribution of resources, guaranteeing food
security, overcoming poverty and inequality, responding to climate change
and tackling a wide range of other pressing issues of global significance.
In the current circumstances, as a responsible state, Turkmenistan
advocates for taking measures to consolidate international efforts to
overcome the current crisis on a constructive platform and to form the
corresponding political and diplomatic prerequisites and opportunities for
this purpose.
Based on this, during the 78th session of the United Nations General
Assembly, our country initiated the General Assembly resolution
“International Year of Peace and Trust, 2025”, which was adopted
unanimously with the co- sponsorship of 86 states.
It reflects the fundamental purposes and principles of the UN Charter, in
particular the commitments to settle disputes by peaceful means and
methods.
The resolution “International Year of Peace and Trust, 2025” represents the
practical embodiment of the philosophy of new international relations
“Dialogue is a guarantee of peace”, announced by the National Leader of
the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Thus, the adoption of this document marks a significant initial step toward
utilizing the potential of the United Nations to provide a balanced
assessment of current events and trends, overcome mistrust, and reduce
confrontational tensions in global politics.
Turkmenistan considers the decision to declare 2025 as the International
Year of Peace and Trust as a global-scale event and a genuine opportunity
for a qualitative transition to a new stage in international relations.
Essentially, Turkmenistan’s initiative is an invitation and call to all states
to embark on joint efforts encompassing the political, ideological, and practical aspects of implementing the idea of peace and trust as a
fundamental principle of the world order.
It is evident that this task should be solved on a systemic basis, with
supporting legal and institutional mechanisms. Acting in this logic, in 2023,
the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov put forward an
initiative to develop a Global Security Strategy from the rostrum of the UN
General Assembly. We see it as a system of views and principles for the
organization of interstate and international relations in the 21st century.
The strategy entails a comprehensive approach to addressing global
challenges, based on the interconnection of all aspects of security –
military-political, economic, energy, environmental, biological, man-
made, informational.
Based on this, the Global Security Strategy is intended to serve as an
updated international legal framework for inter-state relations, reflecting
the existing objective realities and needs of global development. Therefore,
in conceptual terms, Turkmenistan considers the idea of developing the
Strategy to be a logical and organic link in the affirmation of the principles
of peace and trust.
It is proposed to include a number of areas of UN activity, in particular:
- preventive diplomacy as a tool for preventing and neutralizing conflicts
(based on UN General Assembly resolutions 72/7, 75/272, 77/273 “Role of
the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central
Asia” of 17 November 2017, 16 April 2021 and 24 February 2023,
respectively); - Utilization of the potential of neutrality for the peaceful, political and
diplomatic settlement of disputes and contradictions (based on UN General
Assembly resolutions 75/28 “The role and importance of a policy of
neutrality in maintaining and strengthening international peace, security
and sustainable development” of 7 December 2020); And 71/275
“International Day of Neutrality” of 2 February 2017); - restoration of a culture of trusting dialogue (based on UN General
Assembly resolutions 73/338 “International Year of Peace and Trust, 2021”
of 12 September 2019; 77/32 “International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023” of 6 December 2022; 78/266 “International
Year of Peace and Trust, 2025” of 21 March 2024);
Thus, in proposing the idea of developing a new mechanism aimed at
ensuring global security, Turkmenistan strictly relies on the solid
international legal framework of the UN, reflecting the views of the world
community on current challenges and ways to overcome them.
The year 2025 is set to highlight a significantly more prominent and
effective role for developing countries in world affairs. Genuine trust can
only be built on the basis of an equal and balanced dialogue that recognizes
the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, respects their
political sovereignty, concerns about the fair distribution of energy
resources, access to technology, non-discriminatory approaches to the
problem of atmospheric emissions and environmental preservation. It is
obvious that sustainable security and stability on a global scale can only be
ensured by adhering to these conditions.
In the International Year of Peace and Trust, Turkmenistan proposes to
place special emphasis on regional security issues.
In this context, our country proceeds from the need for the most attentive
attitude to the problems of Central Asia and neighboring regions,
encompassing the full range of problems existing here – political, social,
humanitarian, environmental, energy, water management issues and others.
This approach is grounded in the following resolutions of the UN General
Assembly adopted at the initiative of Turkmenistan: “Zone of Peace, Trust
and Cooperation in Central Asia”, “Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone in Central Asia”, “Cooperation between the United Nations and the
International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea”.
Turkmenistan advocates for a clearly defined regional dimension in the
UN’s activities – both in terms of substance and structure. We believe that
such an approach is essential to making joint efforts more specific,
functional, and effective. There is a firm conviction that the time has come
to launch an inclusive, full-scale, multi-level and systemic dialogue
between Central Asia and the UN. This direction will become one of the
priorities of Turkmenistan’s activities during the International Year of
Peace and Trust.
The International Year of Peace and Trust logically coincides with the 30th
anniversary of the universal recognition of the permanent neutrality of
Turkmenistan, in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution
50/80 “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan”, unanimously adopted on
12 December 1995. The neutral status of our country was reaffirmed by
General Assembly resolution 69/285 of 3 June 2015.
Over the years, the evolution of our neutrality has proven its compliance
with the basic values and goals of the UN.