2002 Press Releases

Ambassador's TV Address on Turkmenistan Neutrality Day

Dec. 9, 2002

On December 8, 2002, Ambassador Laura E. Kennedy made a televised address to the people of Turkmenistan on the Neutrality Day of Turkmenistan. The following is the text of the address, which she made in Turkmen:

Congratulations to the people of Turkmenistan on Neutrality Day.

Turkmenistan's policy of neutrality has been accompanied by a record of peaceful relations with its neighbors. We hope that Turkmenistan will build on this record by increasing its cooperation in the international arena and especially with its regional partners. In our increasingly global economy and society, such engagement is ever more necessary. We urge Turkmenistan to engage more actively under the umbrella of such valuable international organizations as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO's Partnership for Peace. We are pleased that Turkmensitan participated in the NATO Partnership for Peace Summit in Prague. Similarly, we note that Turkmenistan and the U.N. will host a regional conference on cooperation against narcotics this month.

Such interaction is of course compatible with neutrality. Positive neutrality does not mean isolation from the rest of the world nor avoiding the necessity of making choices. Turkmenistan's Neutrality Day comes right after International Human Rights Day. Respect for human rights is as important as respect for neutrality.

Turkmenistan deserves recognition for joining the international cooalition against terrorism, forged after the terrorist outrage of September 11th. My government has been pleased to cooperate with Turkmenistan and the international cooalition on the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. This has been a vitally important partnership involving many countries and private relief organizations all working together under the guidance of the United Nations.

Thank you.