“I congratulate you on opening of the scientific and practical conference ""The Policy of Neutrality and Culture of Peace"", as well as on the Day of Diplomats of Turkmenistan,"" President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said, addressing the participants of the forum, as well as the specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. “The year of 2020, the motto of which is ""Turkmenistan is the Homeland of Neutrality"", will write a bright page in the chronicles of our state. The 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and the festive events dedicated to this remarkable date will become yet another symbol of recognition of the country's international prestige. “On December 12, 1995, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the special resolution on the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. On June 3, 2015, the Community of Nations once again approved the Resolution on the neutral legal status of our country. At the same time, on the initiative of Turkmenistan, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution declaring December 12 as the International Day of Neutrality, which was another evidence of recognition of the worthy contribution of our homeland to peace, security and sustainable development in the world. According to the President of Turkmenistan, the importance of the status of neutrality in the current difficult period of global development significantly increases. The unanimous adoption of the resolution declaring 2021 the International Year of Peace and Trust by the United Nations General Assembly at the initiative of Turkmenistan makes special sense. This demonstrates the great significance of the policy of neutrality in the context of contemporary international relations, because the principles of neutrality have become a comprehensive political and diplomatic tool for strengthening peace and security on the regional and global scale and for increasing interaction among the states. “Our country significantly contributes to the joint efforts to ensure peace and security by making a number of proposals to the United Nations. In particular, the initiative to draft the regulations on the application of the principles of neutrality in ensuring peace and security was put forward at the regular meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. “We believe in the constructiveness of joint work on establishing the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace and Security because this will open up wide opportunities to identify the ways to use the available political and diplomatic tools in a coordinated and integrated manner to counter and prevent threats and challenges of our time. Therefore, I would like to emphasize separately that all necessary conditions will be created for the discussion and use of its most effective forms based on the principles of neutrality. “As we know, following the legal status of permanent neutrality, our state steadily widens cooperation with the countries of the region and the world, based on friendship and mutual benefit. As a result of successful implementation of the foreign policy strategy, there are ample opportunities for implementation of major international projects in such spheres as energy, transport and communications, water and environmental security, high technologies, ""green"" economy, culture, science and education. “The foreign policy strategy and diplomacy of our neutral state are aimed at creating favourable conditions on the international arena to facilitate the implementation of long-term national programmes. In this context, the high requirements are imposed on the diplomatic service of the country in the use of effective methods of political and diplomatic, international legal and trade and economic consultations at interstate and intergovernmental levels. I am confident that in the future, ensuring comprehensive protection of the national interests of the independent country and increasing its international prestige in the system of international relations, our diplomatic service will cope with the important tasks in the best way”, the Turkmen leader emphasizes in his address. “We pay great attention to studying the successful policy of neutrality in the system of international relations, research work in this direction. I believe that this representative forum will open up wide opportunities to exchange views on the role of diplomacy in the conduct of peacekeeping foreign policy in modern conditions, to analyze and summarize the path passed by our independent state in a quarter of a century as a neutral country, to assess its current development”, said the President of Turkmenistan.