Sapar BERDINYAZOV, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Turkmenistan.
At the initiative and high decision of the Leader of the Turkmen people, the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, since February 18, 2009, our country celebrates the Day of Diplomatic Workers of Turkmenistan.
The President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov keeps the consistent improvement of the country’s diplomatic service in the center of attention, defining high tasks for the successful implementation of a peaceful foreign policy strategy, ensuring and protecting national interests on the world stage, while following the generally recognized norms of international law, the principles of equality and mutual respect, good neighborliness and cooperation between participants in the modern system of international relations.
This year, the Day of the Diplomatic Worker of Turkmenistan is celebrated in the context of large-scale events within the framework of the UN declared 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust. The corresponding Resolution of the UN General Assembly has become a practical embodiment of the philosophy of new international relations “Dialogue is a guarantee of peace”, announced by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Turkmenistan today is an authoritative and respected state in the world, whose foreign policy and diplomacy play a key role in ensuring regional stability and security. The basis of the country’s foreign policy is the principles of neutrality, peacefulness, good neighborliness, as well as the practice of constructive interaction, remaining committed to the generally recognized norms of international law.
The adopted Concept of Activities and Priorities of Turkmenistan within the framework of the International Year of Peace and Trust in 2025 emphasizes the desire of our state to direct efforts to consolidate international cooperation to overcome crisis situations in modern conditions. The concept assumes a comprehensive approach to ensuring global security, including various aspects – ideological, practical, and political. It is emphasized that this task should be solved on a systemic basis and have a reliable legal basis.
Strategic understanding and comprehensive analysis of modern universal trends, creative rethinking of the basic positions and long-term interests of Turkmenistan in the modern international coordinate system became the basis for the adoption of this foreign policy document, which focuses on further integration into global processes of world development.
On this fundamental basis, Turkmenistan takes a fruitful and constructive part in international processes, contributing to the strengthening of peace, stability and security both on a regional and global scale.
They are in line with the advancement and implementation of international initiatives by the Head of Turkmenistan aimed at solving pressing problems of our time, establishing and maintaining a climate of mutual understanding and trust on the planet, developing constructive interaction in the name of ensuring overall sustainable development. Their practical implementation is defined as the main goals of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy.
In particular, this concerns maintaining peace and ensuring peace and security, consistent development of good-neighborly relations and cooperation in the regions of Central Asia and the Caspian basin, promoting a peaceful, political settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and the socio-economic recovery of this country. Turkmenistan systematically implements consistent measures of interaction regarding energy, environmental, water and other aspects of security, considering the concepts of security as interdependent and indivisible. In addition, systematic work is being done in the direction of creating positive international conditions that contribute to the development and diversification of foreign economic, trade, cultural and humanitarian ties of Turkmenistan, the growth of its economy, and an increase in the standard and quality of life of the population.
Today, the world has seen a noticeable increase in interest in Turkmenistan, within the framework of which long-term and multifaceted relations are being established, and the growing number of international contacts through various ministries and departments are becoming increasingly meaningful and substantive. The scale of the diplomatic presence of the Turkmen state in the world is also evidenced by the fact that today Turkmenistan has established and maintains diplomatic relations with 151 countries of the world, opened its diplomatic missions in more than 30 countries abroad and more than 52 diplomatic missions of foreign states are accredited in our country, is a member of 49 international and regional organizations, and has joined 169 international conventions and treaties.
On March 2, 1992, Turkmenistan became a member of the UN, opened its permanent mission to the UN and actively interacts with its specialized organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNIDO, WHO, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, ECOSOC, the UN Office for Counter-Terrorism , and a number of UN Committees.
The fundamental vector of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy is the consolidation of efforts to ensure regional security, which is closely linked to global goals of achieving universal peace, social progress and economic prosperity. This is evidenced by the experience of the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat, opened in December 2007. This fact itself demonstrates the acquisition of high authority by Turkmenistan in the world, primarily in the region and at the level of the entire Community of Nations.
Today, the scope and subject matter of Turkmenistan’s cooperation have significantly expanded, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. The geography of our country’s diplomatic relations covers regions of Europe, the American continent, the Far, Middle and Near East, Africa, Australia and Oceania.
Turkmenistan’s cooperation with major international organizations, primarily the UN, the European Union, the OSCE, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization of Economic Cooperation, the CIS, the SCO and other major international structures, serves the same purpose.
Turkmenistan’s close partnership with the world’s states and authoritative international organizations is accompanied by the advancement of foreign policy initiatives aimed at consolidating the joint efforts of the Community of Nations in the name of peace, security and sustainable development.
Among the major initiatives are proposals to create a UN energy council, establish a permanent forum on security and cooperation in Central Asia and the Caspian basin, assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, develop transit and transport corridors between the Caspian, Black, and Baltic Seas, Central Asia and the Middle East, Central Asia and China, and others.
Turkmenistan takes an active part in the formation of new formats of multilateral political and diplomatic interaction, one example of which is the long-term experience of the “Central Asia + 1” dialogue and the annual consultative meetings of the leaders of the Central Asian countries.
In the context of intensifying international contacts, the President of Turkmenistan places exceptionally high demands on the quality and effectiveness of the country’s diplomatic service, where it is fundamentally important to ensure the national interests of the state, and to use new approaches to constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation on both a bilateral and multilateral basis. Scientific and analytical methods for strategically assessing the situation in the world and the region are of no small importance.
The head of state draws constant attention to the importance of the tasks set before the country’s diplomatic service, which envisages further expansion of constructive dialogue with UN member countries and authoritative international organizations, intensification of fruitful contacts in all priority areas of partnership in the context of the implementation of the Concept of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Policy for 2022-2028.
In this regard, today Turkmenistan is actively and successfully implementing the tasks set for the implementation of priority areas in foreign policy, such as economic, transport, energy, water diplomacy, cultural and public diplomacy, trade, sports diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy and other areas. In particular, an example of the consistent implementation of international initiatives are the implementation of major railway projects “Serkhetabad-Turgundi-Herat”, “Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran”, and “Imamnazar-Akina-Andkhoy”.
Major projects also include the creation of power transmission lines Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP), construction of gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), and laying of fiber-optic communication “Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan”. Transcontinental infrastructure of international transport is also in the spotlight of fruitful partnership. In particular, this is evidenced by the construction of multi-purpose bridges across the Amu Darya River, the creation of modern architecture of the Great Silk Road, the establishment of transport and transport-transit corridors such as “Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkiye-Europe”, “Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman-Qatar”, and the construction of high-speed highways of transit importance.
All the above examples once again demonstrate a significant increase in the qualitative level of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy and diplomacy. In this regard, one of the significant priorities of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy and diplomacy is the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the international arena, which undoubtedly contributes to the mutual rapprochement of countries and peoples, strengthening friendship and peace. At the same time, culture, science and education always form the basis for the formation and maintenance of high ideals of peacefulness and humanism, friendship and trust.
National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in his speech at the third Antalya Diplomatic Forum (Antalya, 01.03.2024) drew attention to a very effective aspect of diplomacy and international relations of our time. In particular, he emphasized: “The current situation in the system of international relations poses a number of serious questions before us, affecting, in fact, not only politics, economics and law, but also ethical, judicial relations and relations of honor and dignity.”
“I believe that today these definitions cannot be considered in isolation,” the Leader of the Nation continued, “they are one and the same, and therefore, in order to maintain political security, sustainable and economic development, it is necessary to involve the peoples and states of the planet as much as possible, regardless of their historical role, population size, gross domestic product, military potential or level of technological development. Their legal rights should be affirmed in order to become a member and subject of the modern and future world order.”
In this context, cultural and scientific-educational cooperation aimed at integrating the country into the global intellectual space is of considerable importance. Interaction in these areas through close cooperation with UNESCO is considered by Turkmenistan as a powerful tool for mutual enrichment of cultures, rapprochement between countries and peoples of the world. Traditional forms, such as holding Culture Days, festivals, exhibitions and forums, are also receiving new content.
The modern diplomatic service of Turkmenistan is built on a solid foundation of high state support, comprehensive implementation of training, selection and placement of highly professional personnel. In this regard, great demands are placed on the higher educational institution of national diplomacy created on the initiative of the Leader of the Nation of Turkmenistan, which is the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
On this significant day, celebrating their professional holiday, Turkmen diplomats can say with confidence that there is no doubt that the consistent implementation of the priorities of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy will contribute to the further strengthening of the country’s international authority and increasing its role in solving pressing problems of our time.
Ambassador Sapar Berdiniyazov, a veteran of the diplomatic service, served for a long period of time in Afghanistan beginning in the 1970s and then in Pakistan, serving as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to that country. He is the author of many research papers and analytical articles devoted to the history and modernity of the Middle East. He is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. /// nCa, 7 February 2025