Oriented on making people closer

Russia was one of the first to support the UN resolution recognizing Turkmenistan’s neutrality, Russian Ambassador Alexander Blokhin said in Ashgabat on Wednesday.

During a conversation with an ORIENT correspondent on the sidelines of a conference dedicated to the 24th anniversary of Turkmen neutrality, the diplomat noted that Russia actively supports Turkmen neutrality, which is, in fact, the foundation of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy.

According to the ambassador, “during this time, Ashgabat has managed to do a lot on international platforms, namely, based on its status of neutrality, as well as build good relations with all its neighbors, including those as difficult as Afghanistan.”

“So neutrality is absolutely justified, and there is something to congratulate the diplomatic service, the people of Turkmenistan, and the respected President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with,” the Russian envoy said.

Speaking about Russian-Turkmen relations, Blokhin stressed that today they are fully consistent with the strategic partnership agreement signed between Turkmenistan and Russia during the visit of President Vladimir Putin to Ashgabat in 2017.

Turkmenistan celebrates International Day of Neutrality on December 12. In 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, and in 2015 it reaffirmed this political and legal status of the Turkmen state.