Turkmenistan hosts international forum on 30th anniversary of its permanent neutrality

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkmenistan is hosting on Friday an international forum with the participation of regional and world leaders as it marks the 30th anniversary of its status of permanent neutrality.

The International Forum for Peace and Trust is being held in the nation’s capital Ashgabat. The event is dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust 2025, which the UN General Assembly designated after the passing of a resolution in March 2024.

According to the resolution, the International Year of Peace and Trust “constitutes a means of mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace and trust among nations based on, inter alia, political dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation, in order to build sustainable peace, solidarity and harmony.”

The resolution noted Ashgabat’s proposal to host the forum as a “culminating event” for its commemoration.

The event takes place alongside the International Day of Neutrality, which Turkmenistan also proposed to the UN General Assembly and was adopted without a vote in February 2017.

Among the key leaders attending the forum are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China will take part in the forum with the participation of President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Peng Qinghua.

In 1995, Turkmenistan became the only country in the world to declare a policy of permanent neutrality following the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly.

The resolution expressed hope that Turkmenistan’s status of permanent neutrality will “contribute to the strengthening of peace and security in the region,” and called on UN member states to respect and support this status.