SCO Summit Opens Doors for Turkmenistan, Frightens US

nCa News and Commentary

Ashgabat, 17 August 2007 (nCa) --- President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov participated Thursday in the SCO summit and his few hours’ presence in Bishkek seemed to add immensely to the growing clout of the regional body.

Berdymuhamedov was invited guest of honour of the host, as was President Karzai of Afghanistan.

In his short speech, Berdymuhamedov said that Turkmenistan participates actively in international relations and favours constructive cooperation on the basis of equality. He said that Turkmenistan’s policy was aimed at safeguarding the interests of its people and is fully aligned with the guiding principles of the UN charter.

The Turkmen president emphasized that his country, as a neutral state, respects the goals and tasks of SCO.

He supported inter regional and intra regional cooperation for the sake of economic development, peace and stability.

Berdymuhamedov hailed the timely decision of the UN to establish the regional centre for preventive diplomacy in Ashgabat and thanked the participating states in their support for the efforts that went into bringing the idea closer to the implementation stage.

Unofficial translation of his speech is given at the end of this report.

The question that has been raised from several directions is: Has Turkmenistan abandoned its neutrality?

It would be absolutely myopic to assert that merely by sitting under the same roof with the heads of SCO states Berdymuhamedov has jeopardized the permanent neutrality of his country.

The neutrality of Turkmenistan is a robust, living organism. It is capable of evolving itself to keep pace with the challenges of time.

The permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan was not hurt when it joined OSCE and NATO PfP, therefore, there is no reason to assume that it would get damaged by joining in a special capacity the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Except for the future possibility of some joint defence plans, SCO charter is very similar to the goals of OSCE and NATO PfP. The major difference is that China is not a member of OSCE or NATO PfP.

Even though the SCO policymakers would need to tailor a special place for Turkmenistan, the mere fact that Turkmenistan may be willing to join SCO has far reaching possibilities.

By looking at the composition of the members and observers of SCO, one can see that it is a club of energy exporters and consumers. It would be wrong to label it as energy, or more precisely, gas cartel. Within the SCO fold there are countries that can buy all the gas that the producers in the SCO are willing to sell.

Turkmenistan would be happy to get a permanent seat in SCO because it would open doors for multiple gas pipelines.

Moreover, SCO is a huge space, representing some 50% of mankind. This is a vast market for anything that Turkmenistan may be able to produce and export.

The SCO summit has opened doors of new opportunities for Turkmenistan but it has trapped the United States.

The game that is being played in the Central Asian region is a combination of chess and chicken. Chess is Chess and chicken is when two cars speed toward each on a collision course to see who chickens out first.

The US has revealed its hand early in the game. By threatening to declare Iranian national guards as a terrorist organization, the US has put itself in a no-win situation. The announcement was timed to coincide with the SCO summit, a clear signal that if Iran is accepted as full member, the SCO countries should prepare to face the wrath of a giant gone berserk.

In their haste – or fear – the US policymakers failed to visualize the full impact of declaring Iranian national guard a terrorist organization.

Under US laws, if anyone deals with a terrorist organization, their assets can be frozen or seized in areas and territories under US jurisdiction.

Iranian national guard is not merely a military organization; it is a full economic entity in its own right. If it is declared a terrorist organization, the assets of everyone dealing with it can be seized legally.

Instead of waiting to see their assets seized, the countries and business organizations dealing directly or indirectly with Iranian national guard – and, there are many, many of them – may decide to migrate to safe havens where business and politics are not mixed so freely.

The Bishkek summit has brought exciting possibilities to Turkmenistan but it has triggered panic buttons in the good old US of A.

Here is the unofficial translation of the speech made by Berdymuhamedov at the SCO summit:

Honourable Mr Chairman, respected heads of state and delegations! First of all, let me thank the organizers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO] summit and personally, the president of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kurmanbek Soliyevich Bakiyev, for this invitation to the summit of the heads of the SCO member states. I would also like to express my gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality which we have witnessed here, in fraternal Kyrgyzstan.

Turkmenistan, as an active participant in international relations, advocates for constructive cooperation on an equal footing with all states and international organizations which contribute to peace, security, stability and sustainable economic and social development.

Our country's policy is based on the national interests of the Turkmen people as well as on the principles and norms envisaged by the UN Charter. In this respect, and taking into account the neutral status of Turkmenistan, we respectfully treat the goals and tasks that the SCO was set up to pursue.

We are sure that the highly topical issues of regional and international importance being discussed on the agenda of this summit are evidence of the large potential which has been accumulated and is being implemented within the SCO. In this context, I would like to stress that cooperation within the region and beyond is an efficient means to ensure stability and security and also to create favourable conditions for expanding partnership between the countries in the trade and economic, transport and communications, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

From this point of view, the UN regional centre for preventive diplomacy was set up in Asgabat at a most favourable time. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all heads of state and delegations who were present there for their support of Turkmenistan's initiative on setting up the aforementioned centre in Asgabat. Collaboration with international structures, including the SCO, is one of the main areas of the centre's activities. It also gives an additional opportunity to increase efficient cooperation between all concerned sides on specific aspects of joint activities.

In conclusion, I would like to express once again our gratitude and our wish for success in the work of the summit. Thank you for attention.