Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec. 12 /Trend H. Hasanov /
It is a day off in Turkmenistan on Wednesday on occasion of 17th anniversary of permanent neutrality, an official Turkmen source said.
Turkmenistan is committed to the principles of neutrality and legal status, and the value of neutrality is emphasized by the fact that the resolution On the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, adopted by the UN on Dec 12, 1995, is reflected in the fundamental law of the state.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov addressed the nation in this regard.
"Some 17 years ago, in the early years after gaining national independence, when the dream of our brave ancestors about a permanently neutral state came true, opportunities were created for the consistent implementation of our deeply humanistic policy, which meet the interests of all mankind, and for approval of ancestral principles of peace, friendship and good neighborliness of the Turkmen people," the statement says.
He noted that the neutrality contributed to the growth and strengthening the authority of Turkmenistan as a country that declared priority of the political strategy of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries and peoples, strictly carries out the international legal standards and obligations.
Turkmenistan followed a policy of positive neutrality and defense sufficiency, the main idea of which was a refusal to participate in any military-political blocs in accordance with the doctrine, approved at the mid- nineties.