Opening ceremony to launch International Year of Peace and Trust held in Ashgabat

Bishkek, Jan. 30, 2021 / Kabar /. The opening ceremony of the International Year of Peace and Trust is held in Ashgabat on Jan. 29.

The event was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, deputies of the Mejlis, heads of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations in Turkmenistan, representatives of national media, as well as foreign journalists accredited in Turkmenistan.

In addition, heads and representatives of the United Nations and its structural divisions, the Organization for Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization and other international and regional structures, as well as representatives of foreign media, took part in the ceremony via videoconference.

Opening the ceremony, Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan Christine Weigand noted the importance of the International Year of Peace and Trust, initiated by the President of Turkmenistan in the name of maintaining peace, stability and mutual understanding between peoples, which is the key to sustainable development.

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov emphasized that the unanimous adoption at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly of the Resolution declaring 2021 the International Year of Peace and Confidence was a reflection of the efforts of permanently neutral Turkmenistan calling for strengthening the culture of peace and trust in international relations.

"Putting forward this idea, the Head of the Turkmen state emphasized that it is of a specific nature, calling on the international community to back the adopted document with practical content, fill it with real deeds," Meredov said. The head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan highlighted the importance of applying the mechanisms of diplomacy, political dialogue based on mutual understanding and cooperation in promoting friendly relations between countries and peoples, for which Turkmenistan actively cooperates with international partners.

Speaking at the ceremony, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Central Asia, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalia Gherman also emphasized the importance of the International Year of Peace and Confidence, which implies greater cohesion for the sake of peace and prosperity of the entire world community.

The participants of the conference stressed the timeliness of the International Year of Peace and Trust, the effectiveness of the peace-loving initiatives of the President of Turkmenistan in promoting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, highly appreciated the role of Turkmenistan in the development of peaceful and constructive ties between countries.

The participants also discussed the possibilities of holding joint events within the framework of the International Year of Peace and Trust

The event is resulted in adopting the Roadmap for the International Year of Peace and Trust.