Secretary General: UN appreciates close cooperation with Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb.21/ Trend H. Hasanov / The UN appreciates close cooperation with Turkmenistan, in particular the activity of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, with headquarters in Ashgabat, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's letter to the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov says. The letter was timed to Berdimuhammadov's re-election as president. "I appreciate close cooperation between the United Nations and Turkmenistan, and hope for its further development, thanks also to the efforts of the UN Office staff in the country and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, for the benefit of the Turkmen people, as well as in the name of stability and security in the region," the letter says. UN agencies, programs and funds actively operate in the country. Since 2007, Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia has been operating in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan has been elected to three authoritative UN commissions, including the Commission on Population and Development, Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the UN High Commissioner for the Refugees Executive Committee. Turkmenistan's decision to accept status of permanent neutrality was officially recognized by the UN General Assembly in 1995, which indicated Ashgabat's intention to expand the boundaries of partnership and exclude confrontation and military force from its foreign policy. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az