Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Expanded Extraordinary Meeting of OIC Executive Committee, 12 August 2014, Jeddah Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Meeting of Turkey-CARICOM Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism, 18 July 2014, İstanbul Speech of H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Conference on “International Development Cooperation: Trends and Emerging Opportunities -Perspectives of the New Actors”, 20 June 2014, Istanbul Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the 41st Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, 18 June 2014, Jeddah Speech Delivered by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, 28 May 2014, Algeria Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, 21 May 2014, Shanghai Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Meeting of Group of Friends of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, 2 April 2014, New York Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the OIC Executive Committee Meeting on the Latest Developments in the Central African Republic, 20 February 2014, Jeddah Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Geneva II Conference, Montreux, 22 January 2014 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 16th Session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers, 19 December 2013, Islamabad Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 29th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, 12 December 2013, Yerevan Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 21st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization, 26 November 2013, Tehran Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Member States, 25 November 2013, Manama Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the High Level Segment Meeting During the 64th Excom Meeting of UNHCR, Geneva, 30 September 2013 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Group of Friends Ministerial Meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, 27 September 2013, New York Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting entitled “LDC Graduation: The Way Towards MDG Acceleration, Sustainable Development and Structural Transformation”, 27 September 2013, New York Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum Opening Speech by H.E. Ahmet Davutoglu Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, 27 September 2013, New York Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 22nd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, İstanbul, 29 June 2013 Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 28th Ministerial Meeting of BSEC, 21 June 2013, Odessa Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the OIC Donor Conference in Support of The City of Al-Quds, Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 June 2013 Speech delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Mali, 13 May 2013, Jeddah Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Somalia Conference, 7 May 2013, London Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process, 26 April 2013, Almaty Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the Third Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, 9 April 2013, The Hague Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 24th Summit Meeting of the League of Arab States, 26 March 2013, Doha Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, in the University of London School of Economics and Political Science, 7 March 2013, London Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the UN Human Rights Council, 25 February 2013, Geneva Statement by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Ministerial Meeting Preparatory to the Twelfth Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, 4 February 2013, Cairo Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the Ministerial Meeting of BSEC,15 December 2012, İstanbul Opening Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, 14 December 2012, Abu Dhabi
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  5. Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the International Conference on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace, Security and Development, 11 December 2010
Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the International Conference on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace, Security and Development, 11 December 2010

Speech of His Excellency Ahmet Davutoğlu, Foreign Minister of Turkey, at the International Conference on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan: Cooperation for Peace, Security and Development, at the first session entitled “The role of Permanent Neutrality in Strengthening Peace and Security"

Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to join you today in celebrating the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Permanent Neutrality Status of Turkmenistan. I extend my cordial congratulations to His Excellency President Berdimuhamedov for this happy “Bitaraflık Bayram”.

I recall the United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted some 15 years ago that confirmed the status of “Permanent Neutrality” of this beautiful country. Turkmenistan indeed lived up to this status perfectly. It all came natural since it was, in fact, in line with its consistent stance of a neutrally policy since the early days of independence. The resolution marked the approval and appreciation of this policy by the United Nations.

Permanent neutrality is fundamental for Turkmenistan. No wonder it lies at the core of its constitution as well as other laws and regulations. It is also the backbone of Turkmen foreign policy. It foresees many cardinal principles such as equality, mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs of other states, adherence to the United Nations Charter, non-participation in military blocs and alliances, good-neighbourliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and respect for all international partners.

In the case of Turkmenistan, being neutral should not, and does not mean maintaining a passive and indifferent stance in the face of critical events that merit close attention. Being proactive and neutral does not contradict each other. Actually, I believe no one has defined Turkmenistan’s neutrality better than President Berdimuhamedov himself did in his address to the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He underlined, and I quote:

“Neutrality is not just a legal status. This is an active position, full-scale involvement in international processes through building peace, providing assistance in developing effective models of economic cooperation. This is the provision of a political platform for tackling problems existing in the region and beyond in order to establish lasting peace, security and facilitate sustainable development and progress.”

Turkmenistan’s neutrality is exactly as it was meant to be in this contemporary era. This country never resorted to self-isolation or passive observance for the sake of this status. Quite the contrary, Turkmenistan made it clear that as a neutral state, it intends to become a driving force for international peacekeeping, a hub for regional dialogue as well as an active participant in United Nations peace-building efforts.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Central Asia lies at the economic, geopolitical and strategic crossroads between the East and the West. Turkmenistan is at the centre of this pivotal region. As such, Central Asia is a strategically important region for ensuring security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is also a major hub of communication and trade corridors stretching in all directions connecting China, Russia, Europe, the Caucasus, and the Indian Ocean.

One cannot help but recall Turkmenistan’s immense contributions to efforts for ending the civil war in Tajikistan. Three rounds of inter-Tajik talks were held in Turkmenistan in 1996 which turned out to be fundamental to the success of the peace process. Moreover, these contributions were not limited to political efforts only. They also encompassed important humanitarian ones as well, such as when Turkmenistan gave shelter to thousands of Tajik refugees.

This peace seeking mindset deserves to be elucidated at some length. Turkmenistan also hosted a number of meetings between the Afghan sides in the 1990s, thereby actively assisting the UN in its efforts towards the establishment of peace in Afghanistan. Your support to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in Afghanistan continues. Like Turkey, Turkmenistan deems it absolutely necessary to addresses the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as much as possible. It does so by building social infrastructure, supplying electricity and fuel. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline Project is of global importance in many aspects. Most crucially, the Project, when implemented, will contribute concretely to the economic development of Afghanistan and assist interdependency among these crucial regional countries.

President Berdimuhamedov’s announcement this year that Turkmenistan is ready to host inter-Afghan peace talks under the aegis of the UN reemphasizes the Turkmen commitment to peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.

Distinguished guests,

Despite the significant potential to contribute to the prosperity and development of these countries, stability in Central Asia still faces challenges. Although the Central Asian countries have consolidated their independence and successfully built their statehoods, they are still encountering challenges stemming from some adverse regional dynamics.

Therefore, it is our common task, as members of the international community, to coordinate and combine our efforts for an effective and result-oriented engagement with the region to assist these countries in their bid to become stable and fully-integrated into the international system.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Turkish foreign policy has always been peaceful, realistic and consistent. It is also adapting itself fast to the changing conditions in the international system and in the regional balances and more importantly, increasing its capacity to influence them. Our principle aim has always been the achievement of lasting peace, stability, security as well as sustainable development and prosperity. This is especially true for the Central Asian region. We believe that strong regional cooperation mechanisms will serve this aim.

Driven by this conviction, we are firmly committed to cooperating with the Central Asian countries in all fields. Thanks to our shared responsibilities emanating from our common history and culture, this cooperation can only grow stronger and even more efficient over time.
Allow me to cite a few concrete examples of how deep this cooperation already runs.

We strongly supported Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship for 2010. We are pleased that the Astana Summit which took place 11 years after the Istanbul Summit was a success.

We assumed the Chairmanship of the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) with the understanding that CICA constitutes a proper forum for the promotion of security and confidence building measures in the broader Asian geography.

We held the 10th Summit of the Turkic Speaking States in Istanbul last September. At this summit the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States was established. We consider this new body as another instrument that will further boost the efficiency of the already existing mechanisms aimed at promoting stability and prosperity in the broader region.

On 23rd December 2010 in Istanbul, we will be holding the Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization which complements the economic and commercial aspect of our regional cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

These are merely a few examples that can provide an idea about the true potential at hand.

We must establish robust relations and networks in a wide spectrum of fields to unleash the outstanding potentials and capabilities the region already possesses. Efforts must be conducted simultaneously in a great variety of fields that will include politics, economics, science and technology, good governance, education and human rights.

This ancient land is rich in history, culture and civilization. The Central Asian states should make use of this strong heritage in gearing up regional and global cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I don’t think that I have to comment too much on our desire for further deepening our bilateral relations with the Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan in every imaginable field. Our relations with Turkmenistan have improved tremendously since its independence. Common values shared by our peoples throughout history have prepared a solid ground for this rapid advancement of relations.

Encouraged by this great potential, we have created an efficient atmosphere of bilateral cooperation. Economic and commercial relations between the two countries in particular have become the focal point of this fruitful partnership. Our ongoing duty is to keep diversifying and consolidating these ties in a mutually beneficial manner.

Distinguished guests,

What Turkmenistan has achieved since its independence is solid testament to what it can do in the years ahead. I have no doubt that a bright future awaits this great country and nation. As such, we are also more confident about the future of Central Asia as a whole.

The Permanent Neutrality Status of Turkmenistan is an invaluable asset for the realization of the vision of achieving comprehensive peace, security, stability and prosperity in Central Asia and beyond.

I once again congratulate the 15th anniversary of the Permanent Neutrality Status of Turkmenistan and thank His Excellency, President Berdimuhamedov, and the organizers for their kind invitation.

Thank you.