CHAIRMAN OF THE HALK MASLAHATY OF TURKMENISTAN TOOK PART IN THE OTS SUMMIT

On November 3, 2023, as part of a working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took part in the 10th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States.

The Summit was also attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, Secretary-General of the OTS Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

The summit, held under the motto “Turkic Era”, became an important platform for discussion at the highest level of current issues on the Organization’s agenda. Its main goal is to promote peace and stability in the region, deepening cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries connected by a common historical and cultural heritage.

Opening the Summit, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States has today become a full-fledged international organization, placing special emphasis on the fact that the participating states have demonstrated to the whole world their commitment to common values. At the same time, it was emphasized that the current goal is to preserve unity based on mutual trust and brotherhood, and pass it on to future generations.

Speaking to the participants of the Summit, the National Leader of the Turkmen people expressed confidence that the current Summit will contribute to the further development of political-diplomatic, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian ties between our countries and the identification of new tasks for the future in these areas.

It was further noted that today political contacts between the member states of the Organization of Turkic States are of a high level. Our countries, supporting each other, effectively interact in bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as within the framework of the UN and other authoritative international structures. In these difficult times, such close relationships take on special significance, Hero-Arkadag said.

As is known, in recent years the system of international relations has been going through a difficult period of its development. In different parts of the world, including in regions close to our countries, there are complex political and strategic situations. As a result, the world community is faced with all sorts of global challenges and threats. To overcome these complex cataclysms that have a negative impact on the system of global peace and security, it is important for states to consolidate efforts, carefully assess the emerging political situations and make the necessary decisions.

In this context, the National Leader of the Turkmen people emphasized, relying on the norms of international law and, first of all, the UN Charter, it is necessary to create effective mechanisms to combat emerging threats, establish joint work, and develop specific approaches and plans.

In this regard, Turkmenistan, guided by the point of view of the indivisibility and integrity of security, at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly took the initiative to prepare a Strategy for Universal Security. For the practical implementation of this initiative, the Turkmen side considers it appropriate to use three principles, said Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. In particular, preventive diplomacy, the possibilities of the neutrality mechanism, and a culture of dialogue based on trust.

We are confident, said the National Leader of the Turkmen people, that this Strategy will help strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation, resolve pressing issues facing the world community and implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this context, the firm conviction was expressed that the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States will provide support in the practical implementation of this important initiative that Turkmenistan has launched in the Community of Nations.

Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed to adopt a Cooperation Program among the countries of the Organization for 2024-2025 for systematic interaction within the framework of international organizations.

With regard to the trade and economic vector, it was noted that Turkmenistan considers it expedient to intensify contacts within the framework of the OTS. At the same time, transport, energy, trade, production cooperation and other sectors were named among the areas uniting our states. 

An important place in interstate relations is given to transport and logistics, the National Leader of the Turkmen people continued, drawing the attention of the Summit participants that in the current climate of general instability, one of the key tasks is the creation of modern transport, transit and logistics systems connecting our states and widely ramified beyond their borders.

In this direction, in recent years, Turkmenistan has come up with a number of large infrastructure projects that unite Asia and Europe, in the implementation of which countries belonging to the Organization of Turkic States also actively participate.

Energy was identified as another important area. As emphasized, having rich oil and gas fields, Turkmenistan pursues a policy of reliable and safe export of energy resources to the world market. In particular, Turkmen natural gas and electricity are supplied to neighboring countries and states in the region.

In this direction, close cooperation has been established with the countries that are members of the Organization of Turkic States, stated Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, noting that Turkmenistan currently sends natural gas to neighboring Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the potential for transporting Turkmen natural gas through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Republic of Türkiye, and in the future bringing it to world markets, the National Leader of the Turkmen people expressed confidence that in the very near future all necessary issues will be jointly resolved and relevant work will be carried out.

Touching upon the topic of electricity, Hero-Arkadag noted that Turkmenistan exports electricity to the fraternal countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and in the future, supplies through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and Republic of Türkiye are possible.

Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty also emphasized that today on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea near the city of Turkmenbashi, the foundation of a new modern power plant with a capacity of 1,574 megawatts was laid.

In continuation, the expediency of the preparation by the participating countries of the OTS of a Roadmap for the development of cooperation in the energy sector was expressed to intensify and legally consolidate the ongoing joint activities.

Particular emphasis was placed on cultural and humanitarian relations, which have an important place on the agenda of multilateral cooperation between Turkic states that have similar history, culture, language and traditions. The close cooperation established in this area is developing on the basis of friendship and brotherhood, mutual respect, trust and support for each other. As a result of strengthening partnerships in the fields of culture, art, science, education, and sports, favorable conditions are created for the rapprochement of our countries and peoples.

The expediency of strengthening cooperation in the fields of science, education, healthcare, sports and other areas was emphasized. In particular, it was proposed to intensify contacts between research institutes, universities, and leading scientific centers.

At the end of his speech, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, expressing firm confidence that the current Summit, being a significant event, will give impetus to the further development of relations between the Turkic states, wished the meeting participants great success in their responsible activities, and well-being and prosperity to the fraternal peoples.

The participants of the high-level meeting spoke for the need to strengthen cooperation in all areas and make efforts to increase the authority of the Organization. Among the main initiatives put forward, it should be noted the creation of a Turkic investment fund aimed at supporting entrepreneurs in the participating countries of the OTS. Much attention will also be paid to intensifying partnerships in the field of logistics and transport communications.

During the Summit, the chairmanship in this structure passed to Kazakhstan.