An international conference entitled "Promoting peace: Implementing strategies to strengthen trust between countries" was held in Ashgabat.

The forum gathered representatives of foreign diplomatic missions, Foreign Ministry officials, parliamentarians, specialists from the Institute of State, Law and Democracy and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, university professors and students at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, April 11. High-ranking heads of international organizations joined the conference remotely.

The moderator was Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. He represented the speakers and commented on their statements, summarizing the opinions and views expressed. In fact, the conference has already launched the program of the International Year of Peace and Trust, announced by the UN for 2025 on the initiative of Turkmenistan, becoming the first introductory event in this direction.

The process of substantive, meaningful communication to promote peace and trust between countries today stands in the category of the most urgent priorities on the world agenda. Turkmenistan is convinced that confidence—building is the most valuable capital, an investment in a constructive orientation of international relations for decades to come, minimizing and preventing conflict-forming risks and threats.

In this aspect, Rashid Meredov noted the role of diplomacy. It is objectively increasing. The conviction in this was dictated by Turkmenistan's initiative at the UN to declare 2025 the International Year of Peace and Trust.

The Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan paid special attention to the relations of the Central Asian countries. And here, neutrality and preventive diplomacy can play a key role. According to Rashid Meredov, our common task - both the Central Asian countries themselves and non-regional partners, states and international organizations - is to identify and formulate models of cooperation based on the mentioned historical experience, traditions, mentality and ideological imperatives.

"In no case should alien values and meanings be planted here, rejected by nature itself and the whole way of life of people. This, as practice shows, is doomed to failure," Meredov stressed.

Deputy Secretary General, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Tatyana Molchan, on behalf of the Community of Nations, highly appreciated Turkmenistan's commitment to peace and sustainable development in cooperation with the United Nations.

"Peace and development are closely linked to trust. Conflicts around the world and in regions affect millions of lives and hotbeds and damage sustainable development. It also threatens the complex interconnectedness in the Central Asian region, affecting trade and transport routes," she said.

The recent UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development highlighted the critical link of cooperation between Governments, UN agencies and all involved parties for active action. "During such conflicts, we need such platforms more than ever to discuss pressing issues and concrete proposals to advance the SDGs. Joint efforts for cooperation and interconnectedness can be a driving force for peaceful and sustainable development," Molchan believes.

Then Xiangcheng Zhang, Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization, spoke online.

According to the video, Ivana Zhivkovich, Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Office for Europe and the CIS of the United Nations Development Program, addressed the audience in Ashgabat.

Kakha Imnadze, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, stressed the urgent need to develop and strengthen preventive diplomacy based on multilateralism and inclusive political dialogue, which promotes peace and security, development and respect for human rights.

A video message was delivered by Viorel Gutu, Deputy Director General and Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Europe and Central Asia, and Gwi-Yeop Song, Regional Director of the United Nations Coordinating Office for Development in Europe and Central Asia.

Ms. Song thanked the Government of Turkmenistan for constantly promoting the importance of maintaining peace and building trust in the world community under the auspices of the United Nations. The need for these fundamental values has never been more acute and urgent. The international situation is full of tension, wars and conflicts, and their causes have become more complex and difficult to resolve. This is a key factor in the forced displacement of more than 108 million people worldwide, she said.

"Although the promise of peace remains elusive for many, hopes for a better world will still prevail. It is in this context that the International Year of Peace and Trust initiated by Turkmenistan is of great importance," said the Director of the UN Coordinating Bureau for Development in Europe and Central Asia.

Addressing the podium, the UN Permanent Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko, on behalf of the United Nations, congratulated the Government of Turkmenistan on the adoption of this important resolution, which calls on states to build bridges of trust for the sake of global peace.

"The growing tensions between different states and fierce competition between regional groups are an obvious sign of a crisis of trust in interstate relations," he said. – The UN plays a crucial role in stimulating a global culture of peace, it should serve as a global platform for finding solutions and improving dialogue. It is in this context that the consistent approach of the Government of Turkmenistan to promoting peace through dialogue and trust has been widely recognized at the global level."

Continuing the topic, the head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, John McGregor, touched upon the "reason for the existence" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and its founding document, the Helsinki Final Act, the signing of which marked the creation of an unprecedented mechanism for building trust and overcoming differences between participating states with various programs.

In his opinion, it is symbolic that the OSCE will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, declared by a resolution of the UN General Assembly the International Year of Peace and Trust on the initiative of neutral Turkmenistan.

Summing up the performance, McGregor said: "In striving for trust and work to promote peace, we can say that Turkmenistan and the OSCE jointly continue the legacy of Magtymguly Pyragy, whose 300th anniversary we celebrate this year. A review of his works shows how far-sighted he was. We know that Magtymguly contributed to humanity, peace, better understanding and harmony between neighboring States. Obviously, this is what the OSCE is trying to do, and this is what Turkmenistan is trying to do."

After the plenary session, the conference continued in three thematic sessions: "Political, humanitarian and diplomatic mechanisms for conflict resolution and confidence-building", "The role of international organizations in supporting and facilitating peace processes" and "Economic aspects of supporting sustainable development and peace".

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