Turkmenistan Proposed Establishing a UN Counter-Terrorism Programme Office in Ashgabat
The establishment of a UN Counter-Terrorism Programme Office in Ashgabat as a key analytical and expert platform for the entire Central Asian region is an important proposal by Ashgabat to strengthen global security. This ambitious initiative was presented in New York on May 28 during talks between Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Acting UN Under-Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, Alexander Zuyev.
During the meeting, the parties expressed deep satisfaction with the strategic nature of their long-standing partnership, placing particular emphasis on the historic significance of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Role and Importance of Neutrality, unanimously adopted on May 20. This document, the diplomats emphasized, is further significant evidence of the broad international recognition of the country's peaceful and constructive foreign policy.
As part of the practical implementation of the provisions of the new UN resolution, the Turkmen side presented four large-scale international initiatives to the leadership of the relevant department, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of collective response to modern threats. These included the establishment of an Academic Center for the Study of Peace, Neutrality, and Preventive Diplomacy within the Peace Department established at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the creation of a Peace Mediation Chamber in Turkmenistan as a concrete and flexible mechanism for the pre-trial and peaceful resolution of any disputes.
Furthermore, Ashgabat proposed jointly developing with the UN a global Guide to the Principles of Neutrality and reaffirmed its commitment to advancing President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's initiative to develop a comprehensive Global Security Strategy based on international law, expressing its continued support for the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy operating in Ashgabat.
