International forum “The role of neutral states in Strengthening Security, Stability and Dialogue in the OSCE Region”
On May 16, 2023, was held the international forum “The Role of Neutral States in Strengthening Security, Stability and Dialogue in the OSCE Region” jointly with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe at the Yildiz Hotel.
The forum was attended by representatives of Parliamentarians from different countries, representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), deputies of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, as well as teachers and students of domestic universities. Chairperson of the Mejlis Dunyagozel Gulmanova and President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Margareta Sederfelt, as well as OSCE representatives in Turkmenistan, delivered opening speeches. During the event, representatives of the Parliamentarians of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, as well as a number of European countries, such as the Republic of Austria, the Swiss Confederation, spoke about the history of the neutrality of their states.
The main agenda of the forum was to consider the essential role of neutral states in ensuring and strengthening security, stability and dialogue to resolve conflicts, as well as the role of parliamentary diplomacy in the implementation of foreign policy.
It should be noted that the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan has significantly stimulated the development of international cooperation and good neighborly relations in the region. In a short time, Turkmenistan has become known on the world stage as a country that implements a unique foreign policy aimed at global peace and security.
Thus, during the conference, the efforts of Turkmenistan to ensure peace and security (in the region) were noted: the creation in 2007 in Ashgabat of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the proclamation in 2017, with Co-authorship of Member States by the UN General Assembly, the International Day of Neutrality, which has since been celebrated annually on 12 December, the adoption of the UN resolution on the initiative of Turkmenistan on the announcement of 2021 “Year of the International Peace and Trust”, UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming Central Asia as a zone of peace, trust and cooperation adopted on 28 July 2022, and the adoption of the UN resolution declaring 2023 "International Year of Dialogue as Guarantees of Peace”. All this is a clear evidence of the consistent course of the legal status of neutrality in the successful implementation of the country's foreign policy. As you know, the global initiative “Dialogue and Guarantee of Peace” promoted by Turkmenistan is aimed at consolidating the efforts of the international community in strengthening the traditions of peaceful and trusting coexistence of the peoples of the world, restoring value attitudes and ideological views based on the principles of peace and trust aimed at creating a favorable environment in the international space for the implementation of long-term national programs, establishing a culture of peace and trust as an integral factor of international relations.
Akgozel RASULOWA,
3rd year student of the Faculty of International Relations
of the Institute of International Relations
of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.