Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, July 10 / Trend H.Hasanov /
By joining the OSCE in 1992, Turkmenistan has chosen a course of democratic reforms towards further progress, Ivo Petrov, the head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, said in a statement, timed to the 20th anniversary of cooperation.
"By joining the OSCE in 1992, Turkmenistan has chosen a course of democratic reforms towards further progress. Thus, a young independent state has also demonstrated its willingness to share the universal principles and values of the organisation, to fulfill the obligations arising from its participation in the organisation and to contribute to the effectiveness of the OSCE," the statement says.
He said that from the mid-1990s, the OSCE has begun to pay increasing attention to Central Asia.
In July 1998, in response to the decision of Turkmenistan to expand cooperation between Turkmenistan and the OSCE, the Permanent Council of OSCE voted unanimously for the creation of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, which began its work in January 1999.
Over the years the activities of the Centre have steadily expanded in accordance with the priorities and needs of countries and emerging global and regional challenges.
"The Center has always welcomed the initiatives of Turkmenistan, contributing to strengthening stability and security and builds its activities in such a way as to assist the country in implementation of its initiatives," the statement reads.
OSCE Centre in Ashgabat is implementing projects to assist in the implementation of legal reforms in line with international standards, measures are being taken to promote gender equality in the sphere of legal education in universities.
The Center also supports initiatives in the human dimension undertaken by public organizations. In recent years the Center has also expanded cooperation in the field of media.
"Marking the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan's participation in the OSCE, it should be noted that the OSCE and Turkmenistan have passed a long way since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act," the diplomat said.
In his view, the important participation of Turkmenistan in the OSCE, and regularly put forward initiatives for holding in the country of the international and regional OSCE events, including just recently held the 14th conference of Central Asian media are evidence of the growing interest of the country in active participation in shaping policies and strategies of the OSCE.
"The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat will continue to build its activities on the basis of joint achievements and to continue cooperation with Turkmenistan in the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments into concrete political steps and actions," the statement by Petrov says.