Secretary general Expressed gratitude He thanked Turkmenistan for hosting the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia in Ashgabat and praised Turkmenistan’s generosity in granting citizenship to stateless persons.
He also thanked the President for providing a new building for the UN Country Team.
Regional challenges
later Meeting with the press, “Turkmenistan plays a very important role in international relations,” Mr Guterres told reporters, particularly through its cooperation with the United Nations.
“In these difficult times, I praise Turkmenistan’s policy of neutrality,” he said.
The Secretary-General undertook an official visit to Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Mr Guterres last visited the region seven years ago. Since then, he said, the region has been affected by a number of global challenges. covid-19 Pandemics, rising geopolitical tensions, and a deepening climate crisis.
He said it was encouraging that relations between Central Asian countries had improved and regional cooperation had deepened in the face of these challenges, which once again highlighted the important role played by Turkmenistan.
He said the region faces many obstacles to development, including water shortages, land degradation, natural disasters and lack of proper connectivity.
“Solutions are interconnected and can be found through dialogue and cooperation, and Turkmenistan plays a central role in that cooperation,” he said.
UN Commitment
The Secretary-General said the establishment of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy demonstrates the organization’s commitment to Central Asia.
“With the participation of the five Central Asian countries, the regional centre will continue to provide a forum for them to come together, particularly in Central Asia, to implement the UN Global Strategy to Combat Terrorism and to work towards common solutions for managing natural resources for the benefit of all,” he said.
Climate Change Response and Sustainable Development
The Secretary-General also used the opportunity to highlight that Turkmenistan, like other countries in Central Asia, is being affected by the deepening climate crisis.
He stressed that the world needs “much more ambitious climate action and emissions cuts” to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Mr Guterres also noted that Turkmenistan had made “significant progress” toward achieving several goals. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and added that UN country teams are working with governments to identify gaps and risks.
“Sustainable and inclusive development can be enormously enhanced by respecting the full spectrum of human rights – economic, social, political, cultural and civil rights,” he added.
In this regard, the Secretary-General encouraged Turkmenistan to continue to comply with UN human rights mechanisms and recommendations.
