On 8 November 2024, on Friday, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov received United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, TDH reports.
During the meeting, Ms. Ruvendrini presented the Head of State with a certificate from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The document notes that, recognizing the remarkable achievement of ending all known cases of statelessness within Turkmenistan, UNHCR commends the dedication and commitment demonstrated by Turkmenistan by upholding the right to nationality for all.
It was emphasized that the UN attaches great importance to cooperation with neutral Turkmenistan, which promotes initiatives to strengthen global peace and trust.
The UNHCR representative conveyed greetings to the President of Turkmenistan from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
In turn, President Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the presentation of an appropriate certificate confirming achievements in eliminating statelessness in Turkmenistan and the Central Asian Ministerial Conference on Statelessness would be an important step in expanding ties between Turkmenistan and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
As a permanently neutral country, Turkmenistan maintains active foreign relations with respected international organizations, primarily the United Nations and its specialized agencies. The collaboration with the UNHCR is regular and productive, evidenced by several successful joint projects.
The President of Turkmenistan noted that appropriate measures are being taken at a high level in Turkmenistan to ensure the rights of refugees and stateless persons. Special attention is paid to the eradication of statelessness and the improvement of the legal framework in this direction, the head of state said.
Turkmenistan is dedicated to eradicating statelessness, as evidenced by the implementation of the “National Action Plan for 2019-2024”.
To date, over 32,000 stateless individuals and over 5,000 foreign citizens and stateless persons have been issued residency permits. This commitment aligns with Turkmenistan’s adherence to the UN Conventions “On the Status of Refugees”, “On the Status of Stateless Persons” and “On the Reduction of Statelessness”.
Turkmenistan highly appreciates the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in protecting the rights of stateless persons and refugees, the Head of State stressed, noting that Turkmenistan became the first in the Central Asian region elected as a permanent member of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Concluding the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s commitment to international obligations to protect the rights of stateless persons. ///nCa, 9 November 2024