Former Turkmen leader urges Turkic states to take active position in world affairs

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – A consolidated position of the Turkic states has to become "an effective mechanism for influencing political events in the world," a former Turkmen president said on Friday.

The political situation emerging in several regions of the Eurasian continent requires "a very thoughtful, clear and serious assessment," Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, chairman of the upper chamber of Turkmen parliament, said at the leaders’ summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

"We believe that our organization, both autonomously and in close cooperation with the international community, must do everything necessary to end conflicts and develop far-sighted, responsible solutions," he said.

Berdymukhamedov also invited the leaders of the Turkic bloc to draft a UN General Assembly resolution, "Dialogue – Guarantee of Peace."

"We will be grateful if the Turkic states support it during the current session of the UN General Assembly," he said.

Speaking about the common security of the Turkic countries, the Turkmen chairman pointed out the necessity to counter terrorism, extremism and IT crimes.

"We believe that it (addressing security issues) should be implemented at all levels – global, regional and national. We are sure that this task is especially important for those Turkic countries that have faced similar threats," he said.