In a ceremony Saturday afternoon, António Guterres, the UN Secretary General, and Rashid Meredov, the DPM and foreign minister of Turkmenistan jointly opened a new office building for the UN system in Turkmenistan.
The new building opened on 6 July 2024 is the third office complex provided by the government of Turkmenistan to the UN system. It will help meet the growing needs of the expanding UN presence in the country.
The UN officials in the Guterres delegation and those based in Turkmenistan, the representatives of the government of Turkmenistan and the local and foreign media attended the ceremony that started with the hoisting of the flags of Turkmenistan and the UN.
Guterres said that Turkmenistan has adopted the neutrality as a fundamental strategy in its foreign policy.
“Turkmenistan has managed to guarantee within the UN that the next year will be the year dedicated to peace and trust,” said Guterres.
He said that at the same time, together with the other initiatives, this makes Turkmenistan one of the most influential countries in Central Asia in the work of the UN.
The UN Secretary General said that we are very proud of our presence in Turkmenistan and support the policies of Turkmenistan in protecting its people.
He thanked Turkmenistan for providing all the necessary condition for the smooth and effective working of the UN in Turkmenistan.
“We work hand in hand to make sure this country remains a symbol of peace, a symbol of development, and a symbol of strong cooperation between the UN and Turkmenistan,” said Antonio Guterres.
It is a cooperation in which the role of Turkmenistan is recognized as a leading role in many aspects for the better future of the mankind, he said.
He said that we know that Turkmenistan faces problems in many areas such as the climate change. Our humble expertise are available to support Turkmenistan to overcome the obstacles and difficulties on the way to development.
We are here to serve and we are proud that we are given this opportunity to serve, he concluded.
DPM Meredov, in his remarks, congratulated the UN Secretary General and the entire team on behalf of the leadership and the government of Turkmenistan.
He said that active and productive negotiations were held today between the president of Turkmenistan and the UN Secretary General, defining the main directions of the stellar coopration between our country and the UN.
He said that we would continue the comprehensive support for the work of the UN in Turkmenistan.
Meredov said that the UN is a strategic partner of Turkmenistan. We continue to develop new policies and initiatives, and in doing so we seek assistance from the UN at the national and the regional level.
He said that several UN agencies and organizations are working successfully in Turkmenistan.
Some new UN structures will soon start working in Turkmenistan and some of them will have their offices right here in this building. /// nCa, 6 July 2024