President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov holds a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

On June 13, 2017, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who arrived in our country on a working visit.

During the meeting held with the participation of the delegations of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Organization, the Turkmen leader underlined the particular significance of the visit of the UN Secretary-General in the framework of the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s membership in the United Nations, celebrated this year.

The President of Turkmenistan underlined that the full-scale, long-term cooperation with the UN stood as an invariable strategic choice of our country.

Turkmenistan cooperates with the UN in such spheres as security, sustainable development, energy, transport, environment, development and the establishment of democratic institutions. A number of specialized UN organizations and institutions, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) among others successfully work in Turkmenistan.

Ambitious programmes and projects, implemented jointly by Turkmenistan and the UN, are aimed at assisting our country to address significant economic and social tasks.

According to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the agenda of the Turkmenistan-UN cooperation covers such strategic spheres as sustainable transport, energy security, fight against terrorism, disarmament issues, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and a number of others areas. The partnership in these spheres is built on a long-term, systematic basis, on similar principles and views.

We are willing to continue cooperating with the UN on the energy security and sustainable energy issues, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highlighted in his speech during the talks with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Our country will continue an active cooperation with the UN on this problem and in this regard, we respectfully hope for you, dear Secretary General, and for your support in these issues, Turkmen Leader said.

This year, Turkmenistan is a chairing country in the Energy Charter Conference. In the end of May, Ashgabat held representative Forum of International Energy Charter on the subject “Toward the Bilateral Framework Agreement of Transit of Energy Carriers”. The necessity of the development of universal approaches to the partnership in energy sphere based on equal and fair account of the interests of energy resources producing, transiting and consuming countries was also expressed at the Forum.

Transport sustainable development is one of the priority directions in implementation of the Goals of Sustainable Development, - President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said during talks with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today.

Having noted that Ashgabat together with the UN held Global Sustainable Transport Conference in November 2016 and that Ashgabat Declaration adopted by its outcomes lay fundamental principles for coordinated activity in this field, Turkmen Leader highlighted that Turkmenistan’s position in this sphere is based on the necessity to give systematic and targeted character to the global transport cooperation.

We are willing to continue the closest cooperation, in particular to discuss the basis of the UN Special Programme of transport development, which stipulates the expansion of transit and transport capabilities on the Eurasian continent as well as implementation of the provisions of Ashgabat Declaration, - President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated.

During the meeting, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed the condition and prospects of cooperation included in the global agenda.

The provision of stability and security in the Central Asia undoubtedly was and remains to be the priority of collaboration of Turkmenistan with the UN, Turkmen Leader has said, having noted that the most important role in implementation of these tasks, counteracting to new challenges and threats, is given to preventative diplomacy.

Turkmenistan will continue its active participation in the activity held by the UN Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy for the Central Asia. This is under the UN aegis, the practice shows, the measures of preventative diplomacy are able to work efficiently and bring the results, the Head of the State noted.

Unsettled political situation in Afghanistan remains urgent problem. “It is necessary to render real support to Afghanistan in achievement of peace and harmony, - the President of Turkmenistan said. – It can be achieved only by peaceful negotiation methods. There no other solutions”.

Turkmenistan actively supports Afghanistan’s integration to economic processes. The construction of the railroad and energy supplies to the neighbouring country was given as an example by the Head of the State.

We also started implementation of large-scale project, the construction of Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India gas main, the President of Turkmenistan mentioned, having expressed the confidence that it would pay handsome economic dividends to our southern neighbour.

Effective counteracting of the terrorism was named by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as the most important goal of cooperation with the UN. Having noted that High-Level Dialog “The Central Asia – the United Nations” on realization of the UN Global Antiterrorism Strategy would take place in Ashgabat today, the Head of the State said that the main objective is to develop coordinated activities aimed at elimination of the root causes of the terrorism. This is about establishment of the conditions for stable social and economic development of certain regions of the planet, growth of populations’ occupancy, its access to education, culture, etc.