President of Turkmenistan: Ensuring Comprehensive Security is Key Issue for Central Asia

As the President of Turkmenistan noted in his Address to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, providing comprehensive security is a key issue for Central Asian states. The fight against terrorism is an extremely important item on the regional agenda.

However, cooperation on disarmament matters, combating drugs trafficking and comprehensive economic support for Afghanistan are no less important issues in terms of promoting security and stable development in Central Asia.

In this regard, the Turkmen leader said that it was crucially important to involve Afghanistan in implementing major energy, transport and communications projects as a fully-fledged partner. We regard this issue as being of strategic importance for Afghanistan. It will promote its role in regional and global processes, and will help guarantee the prosperity and well-being of the Afghan people, the President stressed.

Our country is steadfastly working towards this goal, therefore implementing a project on the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, building a power supply line and a fiber optic communications network. This is supported by our international partners, as well as major financial institutions. A new railway to Afghanistan has also been completed.

Turkmenistan continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan by building social facilities, sending humanitarian aid convoys and by training qualified national specialists for various sectors of the Afghan economy and society, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted in his Address.