On October 8, a regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS was held in Moscow under the chairmanship of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as well as CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev.
As reported by the State News Agency of Turkmenistan, during the Summit, the Decision of the Council of CIS Heads of State on the chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2025 was signed, which will be transferred to the Republic of Tajikistan. The co-chairmanship during this period will be carried out by the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan.
Speech by the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Dear heads of state!
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation for his hospitality, warm welcome and the excellent conditions created for work.
And before moving on to the topic of our meeting, let me once again congratulate the esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich on his birthday, wish him good health and new successes in his service to the Russian people and the state!
Vladimir Vladimirovich enjoys great respect and authority in Turkmenistan and is one of the architects of relations of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation between our countries.
Dear participants!
The current year for the Commonwealth of Independent States is marked by the implementation of key priorities and tasks. These are strengthening security and stability; deepening economic partnership; expanding humanitarian ties.
I suppose that in the coming period the Commonwealth faces the goal of maximizing the use of our potential to implement the agreements reached and new goals dictated by current changes and trends in global political and economic life.
I am convinced that our main defining task as responsible states is to continue working together to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Commonwealth. This can be achieved by pursuing an agreed line on further strengthening the mechanisms of political and diplomatic interaction within the CIS, defending positions in favor of peace and security in the global arena, in international organizations.
The issue of countering new challenges and threats is particularly acute today. I mean, first of all, such serious risks as biological danger, cybercrime, and illegal use of information platforms. I believe that our countries need to move to more active, coordinated, and structured approaches to these phenomena, develop mechanisms for protecting against attempts to exert destructive influence on state institutions and public life, and purposefully suppress attempts by radical elements to penetrate and sow hostility and intolerance.
To do this, we must use the political, diplomatic, organizational, scientific, technical and other resources at our disposal. Peace, stability, and security within the Commonwealth must be unshakable and reliably guaranteed.
On the external contour, we are faced with no less significant tasks. The session of the UN General Assembly that has begun has shown the presence of considerable and largely conceptual disagreements in approaches to solving a whole series of acute problems of modern geopolitics. Nevertheless, despite all their seriousness, Turkmenistan proceeds from the fact that stabilization of the situation in the world is possible, and it lies in the political-diplomatic, negotiating plane. The most important factor in this context is the use of the UN as the only organization with universal legitimacy in maintaining global security and stability.
Next year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This is a major milestone.
It is obvious that the CIS, as a partner of the UN, needs to carry out a great deal of work aimed at strengthening the global organization, supporting and uniting member states around the UN Charter, and countering attempts to discredit and erode its functions.
Turkmenistan considers the holding of events next year within the framework of the International Year of Peace and Trust, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution adopted at the initiative of our country, to be an important part of our joint activities in this regard. Of course, as the author of this proposal, Turkmenistan will play a proactive role in the upcoming work, and we would like to involve our CIS partners in it as much as possible and secure your active support. I am convinced that, given the current difficulties, solid, significant work within the framework of the Year of Peace and Trust can become a significant constructive contribution to improving the situation in the world, give political and moral impulses to all healthy forces advocating for normalization, de-escalation, and a transition to respectful, predictable dialogue and communication. The Commonwealth of Independent States is called upon and must play a significant role in this.
Dear participants!
At the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government held in Ashgabat in May of this year, agreements were reached and specific tasks were set for further deepening of economic partnership. The priorities are transport, energy, industrial cooperation, and a number of other areas. Turkmenistan fully supports this approach. While advocating for the full implementation of the provisions of the CIS Economic Cooperation Strategy until 2030, we proceed from the need for a step-by-step and consistent implementation of the document, adhering to the schedules of agreements reached in one direction or another.
In general, we are convinced that the CIS in its economic activity should be guided by large, defining trends of the global geo-economy in order to ensure strategic involvement in their course and structural direction. The essence of these trends today is the shift of the vector of economic development to the south and southeast. The CIS is a natural space in this irreversible movement.
One of the effective ways here is the participation of the CIS in international and regional projects in the southern and south-eastern directions from the borders of the Commonwealth. Especially since opportunities for this are opening up. Quite recently, in mid-September, Turkmenistan began the practical implementation of a new stage of construction of large infrastructure facilities. The construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline has begun. The Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission line has been launched. Construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan railway line through the territory of the neighboring state has begun.
The participation of Commonwealth countries in these and other similar projects that will emerge is a sure and reliable way to reach a strategic perspective, and we must fully utilize our combined resources and potential.
This fully applies to the issue of transport connectivity, primarily in the context of the implementation of the Action Plan for the optimization of infrastructure and development of international corridors passing through the territories of the CIS member states for the period up to 2030.
Turkmenistan attaches particular importance to cooperation between the CIS countries in the North-South transport corridor project along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea with further access to Iran and further to the sea ports of the Indian Ocean. In this regard, we propose to begin a substantive discussion and agreement on uniform tariff, customs, visa and other preferences for the countries participating in the project.
We believe that similar work should be carried out in the context of plans to create transport corridors through the territory of Central Asian countries and the Caspian region along the East-West line.
I propose to consider the modalities of this work in specific terms – indicating deadlines, agenda, etc., and to give instructions to the relevant departments of our countries.
In the energy sector, Turkmenistan advocates for expanding the volumes and geography of energy supplies across the CIS and beyond. This concerns both raw material supplies and electricity.
We consider the creation of conditions in the CIS for the functioning of the “green” economy, the formation of economic and production clusters based on low-carbon energy to be a very important area of our cooperation. This is a promising task, but we need to approach its implementation now, using for this purpose the serious scientific and technological potential that exists in our countries, creating conditions for joint research and practical cooperation.
Dear heads of delegations!
Against the backdrop of complex processes that are currently being observed in different parts of the globe, our task, responsibility and purpose is to preserve what is of particular importance to the peoples of the CIS – the traditions of good neighborliness, mutual understanding, respect based on those historical ties and basic values that we share.
An effective way to preserve and develop them is through broad and multifaceted cultural cooperation, participation of the Commonwealth countries in holding major events that take place in our countries on significant occasions.
Turkmenistan highly values the fact of participation of high delegations of the Commonwealth countries in the upcoming International Forum in Ashgabat in just two days, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Fragi. We express our most sincere gratitude for this.
Dear heads of delegations!
Turkmenistan confirms its firm commitment to further development and strengthening of cooperation within the CIS, openness to discussion and implementation of joint plans, solution of urgent tasks on the principles of equality, mutual respect and consideration of interests, as is customary in our joint long-term work.
In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian Federation for its effective chairmanship of the Commonwealth.
I also express my gratitude to the CIS Secretary General Sergei Nikolaevich Lebedev for coordinating our interaction and contributing to the preparation and successful holding of this meeting.
