general secretary express your appreciation to Turkmenistan for hosting the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat, and praised Turkmenistan’s generosity in granting citizenship to stateless people.
He also thanked the President for providing the United Nations Country Team with a new building.
Regional challenges
Then at a press conference, “Turkmenistan is playing a very important role in international relations,” Mr. Guterres told journalists, especially in cooperation with the United Nations.
“In these difficult times, I commend Turkmenistan’s neutral policy,” he said.
The Secretary-General is on an official visit to Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Mr. Guterres last visited the region seven years ago. Since then, the region has been affected by many global challenges, he said, such as COVID-19 pandemic, rising geopolitical tensions and a worsening climate crisis.
He was pleased to see that relations between Central Asian countries have improved in the face of these challenges and regional cooperation has been strengthened, once again emphasizing the important role of Turkmenistan.
The region still faces many development obstacles, including water shortages, land degradation, natural disasters and lack of adequate connectivity, he said.
“Solutions are closely linked and can be found through dialogue and cooperation, and Turkmenistan plays a central role in that cooperation,” he said.
United Nations Commitment
The Secretary-General noted that the establishment of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy demonstrates the Organization’s commitment to Central Asia.
“With the participation of all five Central Asian countries, the Regional Center will continue to provide a forum for working together to find common solutions, in particular on the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia and the management of natural resources for the benefit of all,” he said.
Climate action and sustainable development
The Secretary-General also took the opportunity to highlight that like other countries across Central Asia, Turkmenistan is suffering the impacts of the worsening climate crisis.
He stressed the need for “much more ambitious climate action and emissions cuts if the world is to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees”.
Mr. Guterres further noted that Turkmenistan has made “important steps” towards achieving some Sustainable development goals (Sustainable Development Goals), and said the UN Country Team is working with the Government to identify gaps and risks.
“Sustainable and inclusive development can be greatly enhanced through respect for the full range of human rights – economic, social, political, cultural and civil,” he added.
In this regard, the Secretary-General encourages Turkmenistan to continue participating in United Nations human rights mechanisms and recommendations.
