UN and Turkmenistan Mark the International Day of Neutrality

A series of activities including the Exhibition and the international conferences "Policy of Neutrality and Preventive Diplomacy in International Relations: the Experience of Turkmenistan and its Importance" as well as "UNRCCA: 10 Years of Cooperation with Central Asia for Peace and Prosperity in the Region" were held in the frame of the celebrations.

The Foreign Ministers of five Central Asian states, high-level representatives of a number of UN regional missions and UN Economic Commissions, as well as the Heads of UN Agencies, Funds and Programs in Turkmenistan attended the Conferences.

Among the audience were representatives of international organizations, diplomats, students and youth movements.

The participants discussed the phenomenon of neutrality and its interrelation with preventive diplomacy, which create conditions for all stakeholders to maintain the political balance in the world and to achieve interrelated interests. The achievements of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia over the past decade, its contribution to the strengthening of peace and security in the region and the development of cooperation between the states were also highlighted.

In her statement, Ms. Elena Panova, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, has stressed the constructive role that the positive neutrality of Turkmenistan and the UNRCCA preventive diplomacy instruments played in preserving peace and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the region.

According to the UN General Assembly resolution of 27 January 2017, December 12 became the International Day of Neutrality, which is now celebrated by the entire international community. Later on, the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution "The Role of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia" on November 17, 2017.