The International Day of Neutrality is celebrated annually on December 12, the celebration of this day was established by the United Nations at the suggestion of Turkmenistan, which celebrates the anniversary of its neutral status on this day.

The International Day of Neutrality is a call for mutually beneficial and friendly relations between countries, prevention of major conflicts in the world and de-escalation of tense situations.

The duties and rights of a neutral country are established in the Hague Convention of 1907. In international law, a sovereign State that refrains from any participation in a war with or between other countries and maintains an impartial attitude towards the belligerents is defined as a neutral country. In turn, the belligerents must respect this impartiality.

A country in a permanent state of neutrality, like Turkmenistan, will remain so in all possible future wars. In 1815, Switzerland was the first country to declare its permanent status of neutrality, and as a result, thousands of refugees have found refuge in this country over the years. But Turkmenistan is the only state recognized by the UN as neutral.

On February 2, 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 71/275, introduced by Turkmenistan, recognized by the UN as a permanently neutral state since December 12, 1995, which noted the link between the preservation of peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and declared December 12 the International Day of Neutrality. The aforementioned GA resolution also suggests that the UN Secretary-General should continue to work closely with neutral States in order to implement the principles of preventive diplomacy and use them in mediation activities.

Since Article 2 of the UN Charter obliges Member States to resolve their international disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat or use of force in their relations, neutrality becomes even more important for the UN.

The policy of neutrality contributes to the strengthening of peace and security in the relevant regions and at the global level and plays an important role in the development of peaceful, friendly and mutually beneficial relations between the countries of the world.

Neutrality is recognized in different ways, and sometimes it includes a formal guarantor. For example, Austria's neutrality is guaranteed by its four former occupying powers, Switzerland by the signatories of the Congress of Vienna, and Finland by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The form of recognition varies and can be in the form of a bilateral treaty (Finland), a multilateral treaty (Austria) or a UN declaration (Turkmenistan).

The concept of peaceful and secure development is explored and discussed at forums and events dedicated to the International Day of Neutrality. Such dialogues are more important than ever now, given the current scenarios unfolding on our planet.

One of the main events of the Neutrality Day in Ashgabat was the international conference "Dialogue – Guarantee of Peace" held the day before with the participation of representative delegations from many countries. In addition, the Turkmen capital hosted the V Central Asian Expert Forum, the annual meeting of the Dialogue of Women of Central Asian Countries, the 12th meeting of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian states, organized by the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the Government of Turkmenistan.

Within the framework of this meeting, the Fourth Dialogue between the Governments and the youth of Central Asia took place. Ten participants of the RCPCA Academy of Preventive Diplomacy, representing all five countries of the region, shared their vision of the future of the region.

It should also be noted the first ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace, Security and Sustainable Development, which includes more than 20 countries, and the fact that on the eve of the holiday, on December 6, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution put forward by Turkmenistan to declare the coming year 2023 the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace.

On the festive day of December 12, the celebrations began in the morning on the square near the Monument of Neutrality, where a flower-laying ceremony was held. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the ceremony. In his congratulation to his compatriots, he called the Turkmen model of neutrality "exemplary for the whole world", noted that over the years "the country has gained valuable experience in forming completely new, effective forms and directions of international cooperation" and assured that Turkmenistan will continue to develop friendly and fraternal relations with the peoples and states of the planet.

Also these days, the head of state held a series of receptions for high-ranking leaders from other countries, representatives of international organizations and business circles who arrived in Ashgabat. So, on Sunday, Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the head of the Turkish company "Polimeks Inşaat" Erol Tabandzha and the head of the Russian holding "Vozrozhdenie" Igor Bukato, and on Monday he received the head of the presidential administration of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov.

The round of negotiations was also held at the level of members of the Government of Turkmenistan, business communities, as the festive visits of foreign delegations gave rise to a face-to-face discussion of issues of interaction.

The celebrations ended with a gala concert at the Mukams Palace, which was attended by guests from other countries. The multicultural diversity of the show's program corresponded to the spirit of International political Neutrality.

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