Celebrating Turkmenistan’s Neutrality: Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Prosperity

Speech at the 28th Anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Neutrality, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

• Celebrating Neutrality: Recognizing 28 years of Turkmenistan’s neutral status.
• Stability and Security: Achievements in political and social stability over decades.
• Leadership: Effective governance guiding the country through transition and prosperity.
• Regional Connectivity: Reviving ancient ties across Central, South, and West Asia.
• Economic Development: Investments in infrastructure, trade, and projects like TAPI.
• Mutual Cooperation: Strengthening friendship and partnership of Afghanistan &Turkmenistan.
• Shared Responsibility for Peace: Promoting narratives of collaboration over conflict and despair.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, my dear brother, esteemed heads of state and government, heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen!

Let me begin by congratulating the state and the people of Turkmenistan on a truly remarkable achievement: the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality. This policy of neutrality has served as a vital platform, first and foremost, for establishing security and stability. Looking back twenty years, the progress Turkmenistan has made in these areas is extraordinary.

Secondly, this status of neutrality has enabled wise leadership to overcome the most difficult challenges of transition. In 1995, the Turkmen people could hardly have envisioned the prosperity we celebrate today. At that time, Turkmenistan was struggling with the immense issues of poverty and exclusion; today, it has achieved profound stability—not just politically, but socially.

Thirdly, I congratulate you for laying the foundations of prosperity. Today, instead of seeking aid, Turkmenistan is supporting the entire region. Most fundamentally, I offer the congratulations of the Afghan nation to you, Mr. President, for being the founding father of a modern nation-state—for weaving new structures out of ancient ties and ensuring that twenty years from now, we will still mark this as a significant event for both your nation and our region.

Our ties are ancient. For two millennia, the peoples of Central Asia, Afghanistan, South Asia, and West Asia were bonded by networks of trade and centers of learning. Ancient Mary (Merv) was closely connected to Balkh, Herat, Baghdad, and all the great centers of the era. We congratulate you on reviving those ancient bonds.

The creation of the Soviet Union ruptured these millennia-old relationships. During that time, Afghanistan received one million Turkmen and Uzbek refugees, successfully integrating them as an essential part of our nation. We have shared moments of joy and stood together in moments of suffering, overcoming immense difficulties. What you have achieved following the dissolution of the Soviet Union is a remarkable path of reintegration.

We are particularly delighted with Turkmenistan’s trajectory because we are once again becoming a vital part of a Central Asia that is on the move. Turkmenistan has become a gateway for mutual relationships and has shown what it means to be a "good neighbor"—one that takes concrete measures to help others.

Your wise decision to invest in massive infrastructure—whether railways, transmission lines, or most significantly, the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline—will enable both Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to become centers of global transit and trade. As your closest neighbor, we appreciate this vision and extend our hand in full cooperation and partnership.

Afghanistan remains on the frontline of the struggle against threats that oppose both the region and the globe. While some neighbors have exported terror to us, others have extended the hand of friendship. We are grateful for the support of the international community, including the Resolute Support Mission, NATO, and ISAF, but we ask that the example of Turkmenistan be followed by all our neighbors, near and far. Every neighbor can contribute substantially to an Afghanistan that is peaceful, prosperous, and once again a hub of connectivity.

Today, two narratives are competing: one of hopelessness, despair, and violence; and another of cooperation, mutual responsibility, and collective action. By working together, we create spheres of action that challenge the former, ensuring that our people—and the poor in particular—become stakeholders in a stable and prosperous region.

Once again, let me congratulate you on this remarkable achievement and thank you for the excellence of the arrangements. Our friendship and cooperation will be eternal.

Long live our mutual friendship.