During his visit to the Republic of Austria, National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with the General Director of Agency Rafael Grossi at the headquarters of the International atomic energy agency (IAEA) and discussed the potential for peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Following the meeting, representatives of the media of our country addressed a number of questions to Hero-Arkadag.

Hero-Arkadag, answering questions of journalists, outlined his thoughts and views on the recent situation in the territories adjacent to our region.

– As is known, the situation in the Middle East, which is a neighbouring region for Turkmenistan, remains extremely difficult. Moreover, the possibility of increased tensions, including the use of weapons of mass destruction, cannot be ruled out. What could be the consequences of such a situation?

 – The development of the current situation is a cause for serious concern for Turkmenistan. Our concerns are well-founded, as a vast region of the Middle East geographically adjoins Turkmenistan. In this regard, the events taking place there may have a negative impact on neighbouring countries and the entire region as a whole.

Turkmenistan is a neutral state. Our position is based on the resolution of conflict situations and disputes by peaceful, political and diplomatic means. This is a fundamental point of view that has never changed and will not change.

At the same time, over the past three decades, Turkmenistan has been actively participating in multilateral efforts aimed at reducing military activity and eliminating the use of force as an instrument of foreign policy.

First of all, this concerns weapons of mass destruction. I would like to openly state that Turkmenistan categorically supports the banning of weapons of mass destruction.

Our country is a party to most of the major international legal documents on arms control, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

In addition, Turkmenistan is one of the active participants in the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia. For us, such legal status is not simply a political or military-technical category, but first and foremost a question of morality, humanism, and awareness of our responsibility to the present and future generations.

As a physician who has dedicated decades of public service to protecting the health and lives of current and future generations, I want to point out that weapons of mass destruction will lead to irreparable negative consequences. I know that if it is used, it will have a severe impact on the population, the environment, and all areas of socio-economic development in large regions. This is a question that requires a very deep and high level of responsibility. To underestimate this, to treat it superficially and thoughtlessly is an extremely dangerous situation that cannot be allowed.

 – It has become known that during the current Middle East conflict, military strikes were also carried out on territories of the Caspian region. What is your and overall position of Turkmenistan on this situation?

 – It is important to understand that for over thirty years, Turkmenistan, together with the Caspian states – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Russia – has consistently and with sincere intentions built Caspian cooperation. Over the years, we have coordinated our efforts and achieved joint success in various areas of partnership.

As a result, in 2018, all coastal countries signed the main document – the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. The Convention clearly states that the Caspian Sea is a zone of peace, harmony and good-neighbourliness, and the deployment of armed forces or any military activity by states other than coastal states is prohibited there. This definition is a fundamental factor in regional security.

Therefore, it is quite natural that Turkmenistan is concerned about military strikes on the territory of a neighbouring Caspian state. Our country completely rejects such actions. Military action in the Caspian region is absolutely unacceptable.

In this regard, Turkmenistan, after carefully reviewing the recently proposed draft Joint Statement of the Caspian states, will decide to support it.

This project notes that the spread of armed conflict in the Middle East to the Caspian region will mean increased escalation and pose a threat to regional security.

This document expresses our fundamental views, as well as our opinion on the unacceptability of expanding the scale of the conflict.