Turkmenistan has declared 2025 as the “International Year of Peace and Trust” and has hosted a High-Level Forum in Ashgabat on December 12. Since 1995, the country has been promoting a peace initiative worldwide. Indeed, since Turkmenistan declared its neutrality, it has had positive repercussions at national, regional, and international levels. It is useful to understand the historical context of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality and its achievements in peace over thirty years of permanent neutrality.
High-level forum in Ashgabat
Organised within the framework of the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Trust proclaimed by the United Nations, the International Forum on Peace and Trust brought together an impressive array of global leaders, including heads of state and government from whole around the world. Among the distinguished participants were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the leaders of Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Also in attendance were Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in his address, underlined that peace, trust, and cooperation must become the cornerstones of the new world order. Emphasising that Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality is constitutionally guaranteed, Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed that non-use of force, peaceful conflict resolution, and respect for human rights form the core principles of the country’s foreign policy.
In his speech, he said:
“The value of peace, cooperation, and culture, alongside the emergence of new foundations and visionary approaches to the international order, increasingly shape contemporary global dynamics. The level of cooperation achieved with our partners and our determination to meet shared objectives have acquired new significance within the context of the International Year of Peace and Trust.“
Historical context
Thirty years ago, on December 12, 1995, Turkmenistan declared its permanent neutrality, four years after its independence. Article 1 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan states that “Turkmenistan, by law, has the status of permanent neutrality.”
Turkmenistan declared its permanent neutrality in the context of independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and at a time when significant tensions existed in its neighbouring country, Afghanistan. During Turkmenistan’s independence in 1991, Afghanistan was in a severe civil war. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, President Mohammad Najibullah, who came to power, was trying to protect his government from the attacks of the Mujahideen. The situation in Afghanistan was characterised by continuous conflicts between government forces and resistance groups, as well as political instability. Turkmenistan’s government policy was shaped in response to such instability in its neighbouring country, which will be discussed in more detail below.
Since Turkmenistan declared its permanent neutrality, the United Nations has recognised how the country contributes to world peace.
Concept of neutrality in Turkmenistan
The concept of neutrality has developed in Turkmenistan and has helped build the country’s identity. Neutrality has been integrated into Turkmenistan’s political culture and its process of de-Russification. Since its independence, the concept of neutrality has promoted Turkmenistan’s interests at national, regional, and global levels.
After independence, Turkmenistan’s leaders opted for a political culture of neutrality to achieve their dual objectives of de-Russification and formulating their foreign policy in a way that would integrate them into the international community and counter the threats and pressures of the neo-Great Game in the Eurasian region. Initially, the concept of neutrality is more related to wars where sovereign states adopt neutrality to avoid any form of involvement in an armed conflict between states (Saima Ashraf Kayani & Raja Qaiser Ahmed, 2018).
Turkmenistan chose neutrality after the end of the Cold War, and it is the only state to have opted for neutrality in peacetime. According to Article 1, Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality is the basis of its foreign and domestic policy aimed at strengthening stability and consent in society, developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with states in the region and around the world.
The principle of permanent neutrality contributed to Turkmenistan’s rapid integration into the outside world. In this context, it provided comprehensive opportunities for establishing and developing economic and political ties with international actors. This process not only allowed Turkmenistan to build diplomatic and trade-economic ties but also enabled it to complete the priority of forming its internal political system (Hamzaoğlu, 2020: 654).
Achievements of Turkmenistan for regional and world peace
Mr Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, told journalists that “Turkmenistan is playing a very important role in international relations,” particularly in cooperation with the UN. “In these troubled times, I commend Turkmenistan’s policy of neutrality,” he said. He was encouraged that relations between Central Asian countries have improved in the face of these challenges, and regional cooperation has deepened, again highlighting the important role played by Turkmenistan.
Mr Guterres also noted that Turkmenistan has made “significant progress” towards achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that the UN country team is engaged with the government in identifying gaps and risks.
Turkmenistan’s neutrality has allowed the country to develop diplomatic relations with many diverse countries. It has established bilateral relations with the United States, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, China, India, Pakistan, and many others, staying away from the clutches of the new Great Game in the region.
I thank the National Leader of the Turkmen People & the Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow & President Serdar Berdimuhamedow as well as the people of Turkmenistan for their warm welcome & leadership in hosting the 3rd @UN Conference on… pic.twitter.com/qndP2sC3un
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 4, 2025
Additionally, as noted by Ünlü (2016) in his research, thanks to its permanent neutrality, Turkmenistan has played a crucial role in developing the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Until 1991, the status of the Caspian Sea and the region’s energy resources were governed by treaties between Soviet Russia and Iran. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the littoral states gained independence, and this increase in the number of littoral states led to several issues. The emergence of new littoral states of the Caspian Sea, the inability to determine continental shelves, and the sharing and use of energy resources led to disputes among the states in the region. Not only has Turkmenistan been the main country supporting the development of the legal status of the Caspian Sea, but it has also developed plans and projects for transporting Caspian gas to Europe. In these approaches, plans for transporting the region’s energy resources to the global market through different blocs were proposed. The first of these plans is a gas distribution plan coordinated by Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkey, and the second is the transport of Caspian gas via Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia (Ünlü, 2016).
Finally, Turkmenistan has supported the development of peace and conflict resolution in the Central Asian region. In this context, Turkmenistan hosted negotiations between parties during the internal conflicts in Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the 1990s. In 2007, the UN’s special mission, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, began operations in the capital, Ashgabat (Terzioğlu, 2012). Certainly, Turkmenistan has played a key role in promoting peace in Afghanistan. Turkmenistan used its position of neutrality to organize forums and conferences on peace and stability in Afghanistan. For example, in 2015, it co-organized a regional conference in Ashgabat with NATO on peace and stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Turkmenistan provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including building infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, and supplying electricity and drinking water, as noted on NATO’s official website.
In summary, as Terzioğlu (2012) states, in the statements of Turkmen authorities and various documents, Turkmenistan’s neutrality is described as “positive neutrality.” Turkmenistan has maintained a policy of neutrality, recognized by the UN, which allows it to mediate in regional conflicts. For example, it has organized forums on regional peace and stability in collaboration with international organizations like NATO. Moreover, the fact that the country declared 2025 as the Year of Peace shows its commitment to promoting global peace and resolving various conflicts.
