Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, September 21 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon within the 65-th session of UN General Assembly in New York, the Turkmen government said.
The report said that the UN head congratulated the Turkmen leader with the approaching landmark date - the 15-th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality.
"Ban Ki-moon praised the open and peace-loving policy of Turkmenistan. It is an important factor in strengthening peace, stability and security in Central Asia and worldwide," the information said.
Berdimuhammedov emphasized that Turkmenistan treats its status as a neutral country, approved in 1995 by UN special resolution with pride and great responsibility.
The Turkmen government said that UN Secretary-General welcomed Turkmenistan's position, promoting initiatives to resolve the urgent problems of the region.
"First of all, it should stabilize a process of peace-building in Afghanistan, global energy security, environmental protection, in particular, resolve environmental problems of the Aral Sea, preserve the unique natural complex of the Caspian Sea, as well as develop effective models of cooperation in public disarmament and take effective measures to create a zone free of nuclear weapons in Central Asia.
In his turn, the Turkmen president stressed the need to develop universal mechanisms for the safe operation of the international infrastructure of energy supplies. The basis for this is the UN General Assembly Resolution "Reliable and stable transit of energy resources and its role in sustainable development and international cooperation" adopted in 2008.
Turkmenistan stands for further promotion of this initiative. It intends to practically resolve the issues associated with the establishment of a UN expert group", he said.