The authority of the independent Turkmen state is mainly determined by its capitaly.White marble Ashgabat today is a city that clearly demonstrates the dynamics of the economic and political development of the sovereign country, the level of culture and spiritual life of society,” President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said during a session on preparation to celebration of the 140th anniversary of Ashgabat and further development of the capital held on February 24.
If compare the state with a large house, then the system of cities will be its foundation, on the strength of which the reliability of the functioning of the entire structure directly depends.
The supporting point of this foundation is the main city of the country, which, with the gaining of the foreign policy status of neutrality by Turkmenistan, has become the capital of peace, friendship and cooperation.
The beautiful capital of the sovereign state has made a commitment to the world community not to join military blocs, never start wars and avoid actions that can lead to war or conflict, in other words, to replace the culture of war by the culture of peace naturally.
The effectiveness and relevance of instruments of neutrality in modern world politics have been confirmed by the UN support of initiative of Turkmenistan to declare this year, 2021, the International Year of Peace and Trust.
What is politics?The word politics refers back to the ancient Greek polis or city-state.The polis was the ideal political form that collective life took.
Political life was life oriented toward the “good life” or toward the collective achievement of noble qualities.To date, the form is the nation state based on the principles of sovereignty.
And ensuring its progressive internal development, the state takes care of creating external conditions for this.
Having in its long historical biography many military pages of the distant centuries, in the new era Turkmenistan became the center of peacekeeping and diplomacy.This mission most organically corresponds to the mentality of the people, formed by this time, their cultural traditions, worldview and national spirit, which the Turkmens managed to carry through the storms of millennia, temper in the crucible of difficult trials, gaining invaluable experience.
And here Ashgabat assumed the role of a conductor of the ideas of peace and good-neighborliness in the region, across the continent and across the planet. The neutrality of Turkmenistan contributed to the creation of a geopolitical platform that provides favorable conditions for the convergence of the interests of all parties in order to establish a constructive partnership.
The experience of the inter-Tajik and inter-Afghan negotiations that took place on the platform provided by Turkmenistan is a striking demonstration of it.
As a neutral state and a close neighbor of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan has been always declared its readiness to provide on its territory all necessary political and organizational conditions to establish a peaceful dialogue between the Afghan Government and all parties involved in a political settlement of the situation in this country.
A meeting between the head of the MFA of Turkmenistan and a delegation from the Political Office of the Taliban, held in Ashgabat on January 6, 2021, can serve as a good example of it.
The implementation of large infrastructure projects with participation of Afghan side, primarily in such vital areas as energy, transport and communications, was named as a key condition for political stabilization, economic and social recovery of Afghanistan, for its successful integration into world economic processes.
It includes the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, railway and fiber-optic communication lines with access to Afghanistan, etc. The delegation of the Political Office of the Taliban expressed full support for the implementation of these projects aimed at ensuring the well-being and prosperity of the Afghan people.
In recent years, Ashgabat has been actively developing the economic aspects of neutrality, promoting bold and large-scale projects in the world investment circles that benefit not only the Turkmen people, but also the peoples of all countries of the Central Asian region and neighboring states.
Another important event that took place in Ashgabat in the International Year of Peace and Trust was the signing on January 21 between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan of the Memorandum of Understanding on joint exploration, development and exploitation of the Dostluk hydrocarbon field in the Caspian Sea.
The status of this historic document is evidenced by the fact that the signing ceremony was attended by Presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Ilham Aliyev, who delivered speeches.
The memorandum, which opens a new chapter in cooperation between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in the energy sector, is the result of joint efforts to create atmosphere of lasting peace and good neighborliness in the Caspian region, equal partnership and ensuring energy security.
If, in former times, each country or group of countries could solve emerging issues independently, nowadays the problems are of a global nature, and here the Turkmen capital invariably stands for consolidation and integration. Peace is not the absence of war, but a spiritual value that we all need to cherish, Ashgabat calls on.
In the recent meeting dedicated to the upcoming celebration of the 140th anniversary of the capital, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been presented symbolic projects in terms of good-neighborliness. Among them, the Tashkent Park, which to be open in the Turkmen capital as a reciprocal friendship gesture for the opening of the Ashgabat Park in Tashkent.
Considering that at present our capital is recognized as a center of holding of international business forums, special attention should be paid to the construction of facilities of this profile, the head of the state has said and given certain instructions for the construction of the Ashgabat business complex.
The President also said that on the City Day, on May 25, the opening ceremony of new Karakum Hotel will be held in Ashgabat and this is another embodiment of the hospitality of the Turkmen capital, which is ready to once again welcome neighbors and friends, partners and tourists from all over the world with cordiality and confidence as soon as the pandemic ends.
The construction of new facilities and many-storied buildings in the capital is continued, the boundaries of the city are expanded, new residential areas are commissioned, and existing ones are being improved, autobahns are constructed, as if by flying arrows connecting Ashgabat with the border regions of the country.
In this intensive pace of development there is an energetic rhythm of life, openness to every positive and bright aspirations for a better future for all in peace and harmony.