nCa Commentary
The recent reaffirmation of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality status by the United Nations General Assembly marks the third such resolution in three decades, underscoring the enduring relevance of neutrality in international relations. First recognized in 1995, Turkmenistan’s commitment to neutrality offers a compelling framework to examine how this diplomatic stance has evolved and how it might address contemporary global challenges beyond the traditional scope of conflict avoidance.
In today’s complex geopolitical landscape, neutrality represents far more than simply refusing to take sides in military conflicts. It has emerged as a sophisticated diplomatic posture that can facilitate sustainable development, foster regional cooperation, and create space for dialogue in an increasingly polarized world. Turkmenistan’s experience illuminates how neutrality, when thoughtfully implemented, can serve as a foundation for both national sovereignty and international partnership.
The connection between neutrality and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deserves particular attention. The successful implementation of the SDGs fundamentally requires stability, predictable governance, and international cooperation—all elements that neutral countries are uniquely positioned to support. By remaining outside political blocs and military alliances, neutral states can maintain balanced relationships with diverse international partners, creating favorable conditions for development initiatives that might otherwise become entangled in geopolitical rivalries.
Neutral countries often function as trusted intermediaries in diplomatic negotiations, host crucial international organizations, and provide safe havens for humanitarian efforts. These roles directly contribute to SDG objectives such as peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), while facilitating partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17). By maintaining consistent, principle-based foreign policies, neutral states help create the predictable environment necessary for long-term development planning.
Central Asia, of which Turkmenistan is a part, has consistently exercised a kind of de facto neutrality in various conflict situations. This regional tendency suggests fertile ground for expanding formal neutrality frameworks. If the entirety of Central Asia were to formalize its neutrality into some universally recognized status, the benefits would extend far beyond the immediate region. Such a development would create a stabilizing core at the heart of the Eurasian landmass, positively affecting relationships from China to Europe and from Russia to India. A formally neutral Central Asia could serve as a buffer zone between major powers, reducing tensions and creating space for collaborative approaches to transnational challenges like climate change, water resource management, and infrastructure development.
The economic dimensions of neutrality are particularly significant. Neutral states can establish themselves as reliable economic partners for countries across political divides, fostering trade relationships that might be difficult for politically aligned nations to maintain. This economic diversification creates resilience against market disruptions and political pressures. Turkmenistan’s ability to maintain energy partnerships with diverse countries illustrates how neutrality creates common ground for economic cooperation, which in turn becomes a foundation for prosperity and stability.
Furthermore, neutrality offers a framework for addressing emerging transnational challenges that defy traditional power politics. Issues such as climate change, pandemic response, and digital governance benefit from neutral forums where solutions can be developed based on scientific consensus and mutual interest rather than geopolitical calculation. Neutral states can provide these spaces, helping to depoliticize critical global challenges.
The successful exercise of neutrality by countries like Turkmenistan serves as a potential model for others considering similar diplomatic paths. In regions characterized by historical tensions or competing external influences, the adoption of neutrality—either de jure or de facto—can create breathing room for developing independent national identities and governance models. This approach doesn’t require isolation; rather, it encourages balanced engagement with all partners while maintaining decision-making autonomy.
As global power dynamics continue to evolve toward multipolarity, neutrality may offer an increasingly attractive alternative to alignment with major powers. It provides smaller and medium-sized states with options beyond simply choosing sides in great power competitions. The flexibility inherent in neutral foreign policies allows countries to adapt to shifting international circumstances while maintaining core principles of sovereignty and non-interference.
Turkmenistan’s experience with neutrality also highlights the importance of international recognition and support for such status. The repeated UN affirmations of Turkmenistan’s neutrality demonstrate how institutional endorsement strengthens the practical value of neutrality declarations. This suggests that future neutrality initiatives might benefit from similar multilateral approaches, embedding neutral status within the framework of international law and diplomatic practice.
The concept of neutrality continues to evolve in response to contemporary challenges. While traditional neutrality focused primarily on military non-alignment, modern interpretations encompass broader commitments to constructive international engagement, sustainable development, and regional cooperation. Turkmenistan’s three decades of experience with permanent neutrality offer valuable lessons for this evolution, demonstrating how neutrality can function as a positive force rather than merely an absence of alignment.
As the international community grapples with implementation challenges for the SDGs, climate agreements, and other collective action initiatives, the stabilizing influence of neutral states may prove increasingly valuable. By promoting dialogue, facilitating cooperation across political divides, and maintaining principled consistency in international affairs, neutrality creates common ground upon which sustainable solutions to shared challenges can be built.
The path forward for neutrality in international relations will require adaptation and innovation. New frameworks for understanding and implementing neutrality must account for the interconnected nature of today’s global challenges while preserving the core principles that make neutrality valuable. Turkmenistan’s experience, along with the broader potential for neutrality in Central Asia, provides important insights for this ongoing evolution—demonstrating how an ancient diplomatic concept continues to offer relevant solutions for our shared future. /// nCa, 25 March 2025