Miroslav Jenča: UN thinks the Asian Games in Ashgabat is a model for solving the global problems
One of the honored guests of the Turkmen capital in the days of the 5th Asian Games "Ashgabat 2017" was Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenča. He conveyed sincere congratulations with the Asian Games to the President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and all the Turkmen people from Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Having witnessed the grand scale of the competition, the UN Assistant Secretary-General fully agreed with the opinion of the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, according to which the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are the best in the history of the Asian Games. “I, having the opportunity to participate, albeit briefly, can only confirm the words of the President of OCA, that the organization of the Games in Ashgabat was magnificent. I would like to express our appreciation for the excellent show to the Leader of Turkmenistan, the government and the people of Turkmenistan. I also would like to congratulate the national team of Turkmenistan with a great sporting achievement, as the greatest number of medals of all merits has been won. I think this is a natural result of the policy of the government of Turkmenistan under the leadership of Mr. President Berdymukhamedov, which is aimed at the development of society, youth, sport, and, of course, economic development, which is very important. The 5th Asian Games in Ashgabat acquires a special meaning in the fact that the national team of refugees participated in it. This is not only symbolic; it has great importance in the sense that, on the one hand, it shows the possibilities of refugees. They are people like us, like those athletes who came to Ashgabat. And they, of course, can participate in such events on equal terms. Therefore, they need to provide such opportunities, as Turkmenistan did. They, on the one hand, are in great need of friendly relations, but they can also show by their example how important it is to live peacefully, demonstrating the possibilities of resolving this issue," said the UN Assistant Secretary-General. “These are the issues currently being discussed by the United Nations. Two important documents are being prepared on migration and refugees, which should be adopted next year,“ Jenča said, noting that Turkmenistan is making a significant contribution to solving these global problems. Speaking about the meeting with the President of Turkmenistan, he specified that issues of regional cooperation, use of water resources, ecology and economic partnership were discussed. The global challenges such as terrorism and extremism have also been discussed. “In this context, a very important milestone was the ministerial meeting in June 2017 during the visit of Mr. Guterres to Ashgabat, when Central Asian ministers gathered at one table to discuss the implementation of the global counter-terrorism strategy in the region. This is the first such regional initiative, in the implementation of which a very important document - the Declaration - was adopted. I think that this also applies to the reform of the United Nations, began by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres. And one of the first such results is the creation of an independent office on counter-terrorism.” Mr. Jenča said that this reform is aimed at preventive diplomacy, as a priority area. And regional centers, such as the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), play a very important role in the implementation of this initiative. It is therefore essential to link such decisions with the development of Afghanistan, the UN Assistant Secretary-General stressed. “A very important conference on regional economic cooperation will be held in Ashgabat in middle of October. I would like to note that Turkmenistan makes a great contribution by participating in various projects. This is the construction of international railroads and transmission lines. But the most important of them is such a landmark project for the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline. So, I think, these issues, which we discussed, are on the agenda of the Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy.” “I worked in Ashgabat as the Head of the UN Center for Preventive Diplomacy for many years. Of course, I am always very happy to come to Turkmenistan, to Ashgabat, a city that has become native for all of us. And I would like to say that every time I come here, I see Ashgabat renewed and always beautiful.” - I remember when I arrived in Turkmenistan. During the meeting Mr. President informed me of the intention to organize such large-scale games ... back then, the place, where the magnificent Olympic town is built today, was empty,” says Miroslav Jenča. - And what you can see here today is very impressive! It's a real glory, a huge architectural achievement. So I am very grateful for the wonderful opportunity to come again to Ashgabat, meet with friends, once again meet with the Turkmen Leader personally. And I wish Turkmenistan and the people of Turkmenistan all the best, happiness and prosperity. I hope I will visit the country again in the future.” “I believe that other countries can be inspired by the example of Turkmenistan,” the UN Assistant Secretary-General continued. – The President Berdimuhamedov called athletes “Ambassadors for peace”. And so this is, I think, actually. The refugees are the people who compete and rival in a peaceful way. They demonstrate their desire to win, but make it in a fair fight, on equal terms, with respect to each other. They play not against someone, but with someone...” - This is an extremely important message, especially now, when there are a lot of serious conflicts in the world, including near the border of Turkmenistan. This is how preventive diplomacy works, through the establishment and strengthening of friendly, cultural connections. Sport brings people together more closely! We witnessed this at the 5th Asian Games in Ashgabat,” Jenča said. He also spoke on the participation of refugees in the Games, in the sense that a joint statement in support of the refugee sports teams was adopted in Geneva. Recalling that when Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Turkmenistan in 2010 as the High Commissioner for Refugees, he witnessed how positively the issues of reducing statelessness are being resolved here. “Turkmenistan regularly confers its citizenship to many people, who lost it in other countries, and it's not about the individual persons, but about the thousands, especially today, when the refugee crisis is visually visible in the world, and it's not easy to find a solution. The fact that refugees could participate in the Asian Games in Ashgabat only underlines the understanding that refugees are people who want to live in peace, take part in sports and can show good results, but unfortunately they do not have the conditions for it...” Miroslav Jenča expressed the hope that the example of Turkmenistan will help to find ways to address this issue. He said that in this regard he sees the great role of the Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy, which operates in Ashgabat and works with five Central Asian countries, as well as with other neighbors and partners, non-governmental organizations, civil society, women and youth.
