Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, April 11 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Berdiniyaz Myatiyev has been appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, an official Turkmen source said. A relevant decree was signed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Turkmenistan's foreign policy follows a status of positive neutrality adopted on December 12, 1995 by a UN General Assembly resolution. The Caspian country does not belong to any of the military, political blocs.
During aggravation of the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan, Turkmenistan has provided a transportation corridor solely for humanitarian goods and recently proposed holding UN-sponsored inter-Afghan peace talks in Ashgabat.
The Turkmen capital had already hosted talks to resolve the Afghan conflict in the late 90s. In addition, Ashgabat under the auspices of the UN hosted a series of talks which have played an important role in achieving peace and reconciliation in Tajikistan.
In 2007, a regional centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia opened in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan has signed up to more than 120 major international legal documents.
At a meeting with Foreign Ministry staff, Berdimuhamedov outlined the priorities of the country's foreign policy.
"Foremost amongst these is building relations with our neighbours such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states , namely Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For us, these countries and the people who live there are brothers. We are united by geography, history, culture and traditions. Turkmenistan will continue in every way to strengthen regional cooperation, promote trade and, economic and cultural ties," he said.
He noted that "the bonds of true brotherhood and common values link our country with Pakistan, India and Turkey. Turkmenistan's relations with these countries today are an example of genuine mutual respect and trust."
One of the key trends of Turkmenistan's foreign policy is also the development of multi-faceted, mutually beneficial, friendly relations with major world powers such as Russia, China, USA and the EU.