The people of Independent and Neutral Turkmenistan, together with the international community, celebrate on Saturday the International Day of Neutrality.
According to Turkmenistan's State news agency (TDH), a ceremony of laying flowers at the Monument of Neutrality, with the participation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, took place on occasion of the holiday.
Chairman of the Mejlis (Parliament), Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers, heads of military and law enforcement agencies, ministries and departments, deputies of the national parliament, as well as representatives of public organizations, media, elders and students attended the ceremony.
The same day, an international conference "Policy of neutrality and its importance in ensuring international peace, security and sustainable development" was held with the participation of the Head of State. The ceremonial forum was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanently neutrality.
Before the start of the conference, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov got acquainted with the International Exhibition at the Expocentre of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at which, on occasion of the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality, all sectors and spheres of the country's life presented their achievements for 12 days.
Key government agencies, as well as the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs attended the large-scale exhibition. On the sidelines of the exhibition, business events, presentations and negotiations were also organized, which resulted in the signing of contracts between the heads of domestic ministries and other institutions and representatives of specialized foreign structures, companies and international organizations.
On the final day of the exhibition, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) and the Russian News Agency TASS. The heads of the agencies put their signatures on the document at the meeting via video link.
Opening the solemn meeting of the conference, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov addressed the audience with an opening speech, stressing that the legal status of permanent neutrality, recognized by the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly dated December 12, 1995 and confirmed by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly dated June 3, 2015, is a key principle of external policy of Turkmenistan.
Warmly welcoming those gathered at the ceremonial meeting of the International Conference, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed his gratitude to everyone for participating in the anniversary forum.
The forum then continued with a video messages of the heads of authoritative international organizations. Continuing the conference, the Turkmen Leader gave the floor to the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Central Asia, Head of the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalie Gherman.
In conclusion, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed his gratitude for the warm words regarding Turkmenistan, the Turkmen people, and a high assessment of our initiatives in the international arena.
In the afternoon, the International Conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan continued in the format of plenary sessions.
In addition, festive events dedicated to the International Day of Neutrality were held in all regions of the country. The festivities ended with bright fireworks that adorned the sky over the Turkmen capital.
