2005 Press Releases

Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Meets Turkmen President

Oct. 5, 2005

Following is the text of the press release issued by the U.S. State Department on Under Secretary Joseph’s visit to Turkmenistan:

Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Dr. Robert Joseph paid an official visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, October 4-5, 2005. Today, he met President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, and discussed areas of mutual interest, including security cooperation and the importance of the promotion of democratic and economic reform. He thanked the President for his support of the Proliferation Security Initiative and for his support of the war on terrorism, and welcomed the President’s decision that Turkmenistan would deny overflight to aircraft carrying weapons of mass destruction, related materials, and missiles and components.

Robert Joseph serves as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. In this capacity, he is the principal State officer for non- and counterproliferation matters, as well as for arms control, arms transfers, regional security and defense relations, and security assistance. Previously, he served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense, National Security Council. In this position he was responsible, under the supervision of the National Security Advisor, for developing and coordinating U.S. policies and strategies for preventing and defending against threats to the United States from weapons of mass destruction.

From 1992 until 2001, Dr. Joseph was Professor of National Security Studies and Director/Founder of the Center for Counterproliferation Research at the National Defense University. Prior to that he was U.S. Commissioner to the Standing Consultative Commission and Ambassador to the U.S.-Russian Consultative Commission on Nuclear Testing, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy.

Dr. Joseph received his MA from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has held Assistant Professor positions at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tulane University, and Carleton College.