Priority Positions of Turkmenistan at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly

Preamble

The 75th jubilee session of the General Assembly is a major event in the work of the entire United Nations system. It is called upon to provide an objective assessment of the UN role in the modern world, reaffirm its world-wide recognition as the most authoritative, legitimate and universal international forum, the cornerstone of the existing system of global interaction, the guarantor for the preservation and maintenance of peace and balance of interests on the international arena and stability of the existing security structure.

While invariably advocating for the strengthening of multilateral foundations of international relations and world economy on the basis of universal rules of international law and primarily the United Nations Charter during the forthcoming session Turkmenistan will undertake a number of practical steps aimed at strengthening the leading and coordinating role of the United Nations in international affairs.

In this connection, Turkmenistan will continue its work on the practical implementation of international initiatives and proposals of Turkmenistan's President aimed at solving the tasks envisaged in the regional and international agenda.

With a view to developing coordinated multilateral approaches as well as to practically implement global strategies and programmes Turkmenistan will fully use the potential of its vice-presidency at the 75th session of the General Assembly coupled with its membership in the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, UN Commission on Population and Development, UN Commission for Social Development, UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development and other United Nations structures.

Consolidation of the efforts of the international community in combating the pandemic

Today when mankind is facing the new global threat - the pandemic of the coronavirus infection - Turkmenistan supports coordinated efforts of the international community in fighting the coronavirus and political and social consequences of its spread.

In this connection, we welcome the initiatives of the United Nations Secretary-General aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the armed conflict situations for the sake of fighting the pandemic as well as strengthening global partnerships on the basis of existing strategies and plans of the United Nations in combating the coronavirus infection.

Turkmenistan believes that it is inadmissible to politicize the issue of coronavirus pandemic.

By fully harmonizing its steps in this area with the work of the international community Turkmenistan has advanced the initiative for enhancing multilateral interaction in the area of scientific diplomacy, creating all the necessary conditions for system-wide contacts among medical scientists, experts and specialists in other related fields of science. The main purpose of this idea is to initiate a multilateral professional dialogue aimed at carefully studying the nature of the emergence of the new type of coronavirus, manifestation symptoms of this disease caused by this infection as well as methods for its treatment and prevention.

Turkmenistan emphasizes the need for either improving or creating new multilateral organizational mechanisms aimed at waging a common fight against the pandemic. In this connection, we support the new forms of international partnerships launched on the platform of the United Nations, in particular the ACT-Accelerator initiative and C-TAP platform designed to ensure universal access to technologies and developed medications for combating the new type of the coronavirus.

To achieve a considerably greater level in coordinating multilateral efforts during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Turkmenistan will propose that the Assembly should consider the issues of elaboration and adoption of the following international instruments:

• Special programme of the World Health Organization for researching of the coronavirus genome, that will specifically deal with the study of the aetiology of the coronavirus infection that will in many respects contribute to the determination of the proper methods for the treatment of diseases caused by the spread of the coronavirus and provide the answer to the question concerning the ways of its transmission and mutation;
• Multilateral mechanism of the World Health Organization for fighting pneumonia, aimed at studying under the auspices of the WHO the unknown forms of diseases caused by new types of infections;
• Methodological centre of the World Health Organization for treating and preventing acute infections that are designed to improve the methodology and protocols for the treatment and prevention of new infectious diseases based on the results of research on the origin of new microorganisms and symptoms of diseases caused by them.

Turkmenistan counts on the support of United Nations Member States and specialized agencies in implementing the abovementioned proposals aimed at providing reliable medical assistance to people, their effective treatment and saving of human lives.

Issues of international politics, peace and security

Maintenance and strengthening of universal peace, stability and security are acquiring special importance in modern conditions and continues to remain the main issue on the international agenda for the foreseeable future. It is primarily due to the transformation of traditional threats in the conditions of the global pandemic and the need to rapidly adapt the entire existing architecture of security to the new combinations of challenges.

Under those conditions guided by the norms and principles of the United Nations Charter, fundamental conventions and international legal instruments Turkmenistan continues to advocate for the solution of international problems exclusively by peaceful, political and diplomatic means and methods.

Nonetheless, the foundation of Turkmenistan's foreign policy and its approaches to the broadening of its multilateral interaction continues to be the status of the Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan recognized by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly of December 12, 1995 and reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly on June 3, 2015.

This year Turkmenistan marks the 25th anniversary of international recognition of Turkmenistan as a permanently neutral state. The time elapsed since that date has most evidently demonstrated the effectiveness of the neutral foreign policy conducted by our country and its alignment to the long-term interests of the world community.

Today against the backdrop of complex processes happening in a number of regions there is a greater need for coordinated efforts of the international community under the leadership of the United Nations that are acquiring a special relevance. Under those conditions, neutrality can become an important and effective instrument of peacebuilding and achievement of constructive and consensus decisions.

With a view to expanding the legal foundations of international law for the practical implementation of the neutrality potential as a political and legal category, Turkmenistan has drafted the United Anions General Assembly resolution entitled «Role and Importance of a Policy of Neutrality in Maintaining and Strengthening International Peace, Security and Sustainable Development».

We call on all UN Member States to actively and constructively discuss the presented draft resolution during the General Assembly session.

With a view to the continuation of a broad multilateral dialogue on the practical implementation of neutrality principles in preventing conflicts, elimination of their causes and consequences the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace, Security and Development is being formed on the platform of the United Nations with the support of the Member States of the Organization. Turkmenistan invites all United Nations Member States and relevant international bodies to join the dialogue within the framework of this promising multilateral platform.

We plan to hold the constituent meeting of the Group of Friends of Neutrality during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

Taking into account the potential and benefits of neutrality in ensuring peace and security during the forthcoming session of the General Assembly Turkmenistan will continue its work on elaborating the United Nations Code of Practice on the effective use of the principles of neutrality in the settlement of international problems that will complement the tools of the UN governing bodies and its specialized agencies in the areas of maintaining and strengthening peace.

Preventive diplomacy is the most important function and indispensable part of Turkmenistan's neutrality.

In this connection, we emphasize the special importance of the UN's preventive diplomacy institutions, its mechanisms of good offices and mediation. Turkmenistan will continue to provide maximum assistance to the work of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia with its headquarters in Ashgabat.

Proceeding from the logics of its neutrality policy in ensuring regional peace, security and development and the further unfolding of the Regional Center's potential during the forthcoming session Turkmenistan intends to present the draft of the United Nations General Assembly resolution entitled «Role of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia».

Furthermore, Turkmenistan underscores the need for collective proposal by all Central Asian states to table the General Assembly resolution entitled «Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region».

We consider it appropriate to include the initiatives on the institutionalization of proven multilateral cooperation mechanisms in the above-mentioned documents, in particular the Academy of Preventive Diplomacy and Central Asian Expert Forum.

We look forward to an active and wide discussion on proposed draft documents.

Turkmenistan believes that a more thorough and comprehensive encouragement of the culture of peace and trust in international relations is the foundation for building a firm and stable system of security.

In order to pool together additional efforts of the United Nations system aimed at developing the traditions of peaceful and trustworthy coexistence of world's nations, the UN General Assembly on the initiative of Turkmenistan adopted its resolution on declaring the year 2021 - International Year of Peace and Trust.

While embarking on the implementation of the adopted resolution during the 75th session of the General Assembly Turkmenistan is putting forward the initiative on holding and International Forum of Peace and Trust in the year 2021.

Turkmenistan regards terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking of drugs and arms, and human trafficking as serious challenges and threats to international security.

Turkmenistan stands for the strengthening of the international system for countering terrorism with the United Nations acting as its main coordination center. We highly value the work of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office which plays the leading role in consolidating international efforts for combating the terrorist threat.

During the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Turkmenistan intends to devote special attention to the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy at the regional level proceeding from the provisions of the 2011 Ashgabat Declaration and the Joint Action Plan on countering terrorism in Central Asia which is entering the next fourth stage of its implementation in 2021.

Taking into account the experience accumulated in the Central Asia region in the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy we propose to consider the possibility of systematic development of regional and subregional approaches to the implementation of this Strategy.

In this connection, we propose to organize during the forthcoming session of the General Assembly an Interregional political dialogue on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

We believe that the UN Counter-Terrorism Office should play the main role in promoting this initiative.

Turkmenistan regards the intensification of joint efforts on ensuring the non-proliferation regime and disarmament as one of the top priority tasks for the international community.

We assign the main role in this process to the United Nations and UN's multilateral disarmament mechanism whose key elements are the cohesive work of the First Committee of the General Assembly, the UN Disarmament Commission and the Conference on Disarmament.

Being a participant of the fundamental international treaties and UN conventions, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty and other key multilateral instruments Turkmenistan intends to provide further comprehensive support to the processes of disarmament in the region and the world.

We advocate for the earliest possible entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty underlining that further construction of the global architecture of nuclear non-proliferation as a whole depends on it.

At the regional level, Turkmenistan actively participates in further promotion of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and its practical implementation. In this connection, our country stands ready for active cooperation with the Office of the United Anions Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and other appropriate international structures.

Turkmenistan regards the forthcoming 2021 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a chance to strengthen commitments of the countries within the framework of the Treaty given the existing trends towards the reduction of stability in the sphere of arms control and non-proliferation regime.

We consider that it is highly relevant to continue the multilateral dialogue to discuss the measures aimed at the expansion of the international legal framework in the area of non-proliferation.

We consider further enhancement and expansion of the network of appropriate structures of the United Nations to be one of the practical steps for implementing systematic measures in the sphere of disarmament.

In this context, we would like to recall Turkmenistan's proposal to consider the issue regarding the establishment of the UN Subregional Center on Disarmament in Asia.

In view of the accelerated expansion of global information networks, we witness the growing level and scope of threats to information security. We assign to the United Nations the key role in the consolidation of joint efforts in this sphere and believe that it is necessary to develop and adopt under the auspices of the United Nations of universal legal instruments on ensuring security in the information space.

We are convinced that the same universally recognized principles of non-use of force, respect for state sovereignty and non-interference should apply to the digital sphere of international relations.

With a view to a broad international discussion of global challenges related to the use of global information networks for the purpose of creating threats to security while on the other hand taking into account prospects of using information technologies for strengthening regional and international stability, Turkmenistan considers it advisable to look for the possibility of organizing the Global forum on information security and cooperation as a regular multilateral dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations for considering the entire complex of cooperation issues in this sphere.

Sustainable Development

Present-day challenges and risks exert tangible pressure on the course and direction of global economy and trade and the functioning of international transport and energy systems and also create serious problems for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In view of the current conditions, Turkmenistan invariably underscores the need for maintaining continuous dialogue on the issues concerning the financing of the implementation of global strategies, in particular the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In this context, we advocate for the accelerated fulfilment of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda to efficiently mobilize and use resources required for the achievement of the SDGs.

We underscore the advisability of considering - within the framework of the 75th session of the General Assembly- the possibility of holding an International Conference on Financing for Development in 2022.

We consider that it is highly important to intensify international cooperation aimed at rebuilding economic and trade ties. Today it is necessary to create platforms for taking the global economy onto the trajectory of sustainable growth.

Turkmenistan regards energy, industry, transport and trade as the key areas of cooperation in the economic sphere.

We are convinced that under present-day conditions it is of special importance to restore and stabilize energy supplies to the world markets on just and transparent principles based on equality of rights, recognition of the interests of all the participants of this process and reasonable price formation. Diversification of energy flows is the most important aspect in achieving this goal.

Proceeding from this assumption Turkmenistan systematically promotes initiatives concerning the reliability and stability of energy supplies to the world markets as a result of which the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus relevant resolutions in 2008 and 2013. During the 75th session, we intend to continue our efforts aimed at the promotion of Turkmenistan's previous proposals, in particular through submitting a draft resolution of the General Assembly aimed at considering the possibilities of forming an open-ended International Group of Experts on the development of modern international legal tools in the sphere of stability and reliability of energy transit.

Consolidated approaches of the international community are essential for such a critically important sphere as international transport communication.

Turkmenistan, as a country leading the processes of the development and strengthening of international cooperation in the spheres of sustainable and safe transportation, proposes the initiative aimed at a broad multilateral consideration of the ways to ensure stable international transportation during emergencies.

In this connection, Turkmenistan has developed and submitted for the consideration by the United Nations Member States of the draft resolution of the UN General Assembly which will be considered during the 75th session.

We call on all states and specialized agencies of the UN system to take constructive and active participation in the negotiating process on the submitted draft resolution.

We regard the Ministerial Transport Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) planned for the year 2021 as a platform for developing effective and mutually agreed approaches for multilateral cooperation in the transportation sphere.

Turkmenistan attaches special importance to the development of an effective multilateral trade system.

We are convinced that the World Trade Organization should take upon itself the leadership role in this activity.

As a result of getting the observer status in the WTO this year, Turkmenistan will actively use the opportunities opened up in this connection for promoting practical measures aimed at overcoming crisis phenomena in the global economy and trade.

As regards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals Turkmenistan devotes special attention to the continuation of a multilateral dialogue on the issues of climate change, environment protection, rational use of natural resources and ensuring environmental security.

We believe that it is apparent that the coronavirus pandemic is especially dangerous for the regions prone to serious environmental risks whose population due to various reasons has lived for many years by being exposed to the impact of negative exogenous factors.

In this connection, Turkmenistan calls on the international community to pay especially close attention to the environmental disaster in the Aral Sea.

We would like to note that of special danger are the air masses forming in the area of the environmental disaster caused by the drying of the Aral Sea that have an extremely negative impact on the nature, climate and health of the people living in this region and adjacent to the Aral Sea and far beyond. Dust and salt storms carrying especially harmful substances from the bed of the dried-up Aral Sea propagate for thousands of kilometres and present a real danger to human lives.

During the 75th session of the General Assembly Turkmenistan will continue to implement the initiative proposed by the President of Turkmenistan at the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Summit regarding the creation of a Special UN Programme for the Aral Sea basin.

Proceeding from the General Assembly resolutions adopted on 12 April 2018 and 28 May 2019 on Cooperation between the United Nations and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) we intend to submit the initial draft concept and structure of the future Special Programme for consideration at the regular session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to be held in May 2021.

We call on the UN Member States and international organizations to undertake a substantive discussion of this document.

Taking into consideration the factor of the direct impact of negative consequences of the Aral environmental catastrophe on air pollution and in the long run on human health, Turkmenistan intends to submit within the 75th session of the General Assembly a proposal on the launching - in cooperation with the World Health Organization and United Nations Environment Programme - of international studies on the correlation between the degrees of air pollution and the level of sicknesses caused by infectious, oncological and cardiovascular diseases.

We regard the preservation of biodiversity and ecological balance in the Caspian Sea as one of the top priority tasks in the environmental sphere.

At present Turkmenistan has developed the Concept of the New Caspian Environmental Programme whose draft will be considered soon during the regular meeting of the parties of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.

We consider that it is advisable to invite the experts of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and other international environment protection bodies for the consideration of this document.

International Humanitarian Cooperation

While reaffirming its commitment to the compliance with the fundamental Conventions and other United Nations multilateral international instruments in the sphere of human rights and freedoms Turkmenistan stands ready to take further practical actions with a view to the development of international humanitarian cooperation.

In this context, during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, we will concentrate our efforts on cooperation with the UN specialized bodies aimed at the implementation of national, regional and global strategies, programmes and plans of action designed to ensure human rights and freedoms on the basis of international law.

Proceeding from this position during the forthcoming General Assembly session we intend - in cooperation with the United Nations - to establish the mandate of the representative of the Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Ashgabat.

Also during the 75th session, we plan in cooperation with the UN specialized structures to approve the National Plan of Action on Human Rights for 2021-2025 which will assign a special role to the development of the national institute of Ombudsman and expansion of its cooperation with international organizations.

Conclusive provisions

Priority positions of Turkmenistan at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, its proposed international initiatives and proposals define the approaches of our country to active interaction with all Member States of the Organization and United Nations bodies, institutions and agencies.

Turkmenistan welcomes close international cooperation and calls on all partners to engage in joint effective work in the name of upholding the high ideals of peace and justice and implementing the purposes and goals of the United Nations.