Ashgabat, December 12 | ORIENT. The international forum dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Trust concluded in Ashgabat. The level of representation at this landmark event was a clear testament to the respect and trust in Turkmenistan and its constructive role in maintaining and strengthening global peace and security. The National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, delivered the keynote speech, presenting a profound philosophical and political understanding of the country's peacekeeping mission.

The Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty emphasized that Turkmenistan's initiative to proclaim 2025 the International Year of Peace and Trust was not a random step, but a logical step in the long-standing efforts of a peace-loving state. He noted that the UN General Assembly resolution adopted in this regard was highly praised, as many countries saw it as an opportunity to create a constructive, respectful atmosphere of communication when discussing the most pressing issues.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that in the challenging times the world is experiencing, the unity of all responsible, healthy, and peace-loving forces is needed more than ever, as well as their determination to counter threats to the global security architecture. Turkmenistan believes in the need to more actively and effectively utilize the full arsenal of politics and diplomacy, public opinion, and its accumulated humanitarian heritage.

The potential of the United Nations was cited as the primary mechanism for uniting peace-loving forces. The Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty emphasized the need to utilize the capabilities of the UN as the only organization with universal legitimacy and mandate. Cooperation on a platform of peace and trust presupposes the recognized political and legal foundations enshrined in the UN Charter: equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in sovereign affairs.

Developing the concept of dialogue, he emphasized the need to engage interparliamentary channels of communication, women's and youth diplomacy, emphasizing that public diplomacy should become an important support for official diplomacy. At the same time, information dialogue, which is considered an integral part of the global formula “Dialogue is a guarantee of peace,” plays a crucial role in establishing constructive interstate relations.

The National Leader of the Turkmen People emphasized that for Turkmenistan, neutrality is not just a foreign policy model, but the foundation of its worldview, its self-perception of the role and responsibility of the state and its people, and its unique contribution to the development of modern civilization. This is why Turkmenistan's neutrality is immutable and unaffected by external pressures.

Cooperation on the platform of Peace and Trust should encompass a broad range of activities, including addressing universal challenges in areas such as environmental change, access to clean water and air, healthcare, and food security. In this context, a key initiative was put forward:

It was proposed to develop a new, promising "Roadmap for Cooperation" under the auspices of Peace and Trust, jointly with partners from interested states and international organizations.

Turkmenistan confirmed its readiness to use its neutrality to promote peace, mutual understanding, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to advance its initiatives to establish a UN mediation chamber and to grant neutral states the status of priority partners in peacekeeping efforts.

The forum concluded, confirming that the values ​​and ideals of Peace and Trust are increasingly gaining support, becoming real and effective factors in global development. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the forum's distinctive feature was its openness and the participants' willingness to jointly seek solutions to the most important issues of our time.

He is convinced that the Ashgabat Forum has set the right, viable geopolitical and economic vectors for the long term and demonstrated that all participants are united by a shared understanding of the need to create a comprehensive, indivisible security and development system that meets the genuine interests of all peoples of the planet. Such a system can be built under one fundamental condition: goodwill, mutual trust, and a high sense of responsibility for the fate of the world.