On October 24, on the second day of his working visit to the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as an honorary guest, took part in the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan in the BRICS Plus/outreach format.
In the morning, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov headed to the venue of the high–level forum - the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center.
After taking photos together, the heads of delegations from over 30 foreign countries, heads of international organizations, including the UN, SCO and CIS, as well as the president of the New Development Bank took part in the plenary session of the XVI BRICS Summit in the BRICS Plus/outreach format.
As already reported, the BRICS organization was established in 2006 during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and during this time has become one of the most authoritative and influential global structures.
The name of the organization is an abbreviation of the initial letters of the first five member countries: the Federal Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa, which joined them in 2011. Subsequently, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia joined the BRICS as new full members.
Cooperation within the framework of this interstate association is carried out on the principle of sovereign equality, mutual consideration of interests, openness and consensus, which makes it attractive to other countries of the world.
Taking into account the growing interest from potential partners, the BRICS Plus format was created, which provides a platform for constructive dialogue on global problems of the modern world. A striking example of this is the focus on sustainable development and mutually beneficial economic cooperation, the directions of which are determined at annual summits and high-level multilateral meetings.
Warmly welcoming the participants and honored guests of the XVI BRICS Summit, held within the framework of the Russian presidency under the motto "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security," Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the well-established expanded BRICS Plus/outreach format provides an opportunity for direct and open dialogue between the members of the association with friends and partners.
Further, the floor was given to the participants of the meeting, including the leaders of the CIS countries, Asian, African, Middle East and Latin American countries, as well as the heads of executive bodies of a number of international organizations interested in establishing closer partnership with BRICS.
Thanking President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for the hospitality and warm welcome, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan is taking part in the BRICS Summit for the first time in the BRICS Plus/outreach format, and expressed gratitude for the invitation to such a representative event, which is regarded as a respectful attitude towards our country.
As it was noted, Turkmenistan takes an active part in the efforts of the international community aimed at achieving and affirming the principles of cooperation, mutual respect and consideration of interests in the world. Our country uses its neutral status to promote the peacekeeping agenda, ensure global and regional security, and establish a culture of equal dialogue, trust and predictability in interstate relations.
– An important part of Turkmenistan's foreign policy is the application of the model of neutrality, tools of preventive diplomacy to prevent conflict situations, eliminate the causes that give rise to them, – the head of state stressed, expressing conviction that in the current conditions, the basic principles of neutrality are objectively in demand and, with the support of the international community, can bring real benefits in ensuring regional and global security.
In this context, the special importance and high efficiency of the activities of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, whose headquarters are located in the city of Ashgabat, was noted.
"As a responsible state, Turkmenistan proposes a number of measures aimed at normalizing and improving the international situation and moving to constructive parameters of interaction," President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed in his speech, recalling that our country had made a number of serious proposals at the UN. In particular, such as the development of a Global Security Strategy, the Initiative to give neutral countries the status of priority partners of the United Nations in its peacekeeping efforts, as well as a number of proposals in the context of creating and strengthening regional security and stability.
A landmark event in this context was the unanimous support of the UN General Assembly for Turkmenistan's initiative to declare the next year, 2025, the International Year of Peace and Trust. We hope that all states will take an active part in the implementation of the provisions of the relevant Resolution of the General Assembly, the Head of State continued.
As noted, Turkmenistan's international strategy is based on the country's involvement in modern geo-economic trends, proactive participation in solving urgent problems of our time, achieving Sustainable Development Goals, overcoming crisis situations in the environmental and food sectors, creating and approving equal, fair and reliable ways for countries and peoples to access energy sources, clean water and air.
"For this, our state also acts from an active and responsible position," President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed, emphasizing the importance of Turkmenistan's initiatives in the field of economy, energy and sustainable transport. In particular, we are talking about the development of a Global Framework for the Transition to a circular Economy, the creation of a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity and an Alliance for Global Energy Security and Sustainable Development.
– In general, speaking about the current global geo–economic trends, Turkmenistan highlights one of their defining problems - increasing the importance of developing countries. In many ways, they are designed to give new energy to the established, but already requiring constructive revision of the previous schemes of the world order, to bring them a new meaning and purpose.
As noted, in matters of environmental cooperation, Turkmenistan attaches priority importance to the protection and preservation of the natural landscape in Central Asia, marine resources and biodiversity in the Caspian Sea, the rational use of water and water-energy resources of these regions based on the interests of partners and generally recognized norms of international law.
"Turkmenistan attaches great importance to international cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including solving the problems of refugees and stateless persons," stated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
– Our country also considers it important to give proper impetus to cooperation in the cultural, scientific, and educational spheres. The expansion of knowledge about each other, the interpenetration of cultures, traditions, and original art is a beneficial process that unites peoples on healthy, creative foundations," the head of state noted.
At the end of his speech, the President of Turkmenistan thanked the organizers once again for the invitation to participate in the current meeting, the opportunity to speak and share opinions and suggestions, as well as for the conditions created for the successful and productive work of the forum.
Thanking President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for his informative speech, the Chairman of the Summit noted the importance of the many issues raised and positive initiatives put forward by neutral Turkmenistan.
Following the Summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke in support of multilateralism in solving international problems, calling for acting together as one big family in order to cope with the challenges of our time.
During the interested exchange of views on key areas and measures to deepen the multilateral dialogue on the BRICS platform, the meeting participants confirmed their common interest in working out new mechanisms to better unlock the enormous potential available for the comprehensive expansion of equal, trusting and mutually beneficial cooperation.
At the end of the program of the two-day working visit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov headed to the Gabdulla Tukai International Airport in Kazan, from where he left for his homeland.
After a three-hour flight, the airliner landed at Ashgabat International Airport, where the head of the Turkmen state was met by officials who congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on a successful visit.
Source: State News Agency
