Welcoming Ceremony for the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries Held in Awaza (updated)

Elvira Kadyrova and Ravilya Kadyrova, Awaza, Turkmenistan

On 5 August 2025, a solemn welcoming ceremony for delegates of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) took place in the National Tourism Zone “Awaza.” The event marked a significant milestone in global efforts to address the challenges faced by nations without access to sea routes and to strengthen international cooperation for sustainable development.

The ceremony was attended by the National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Chairman of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang, heads and representatives of delegations from participating countries, leaders of international organizations, and Turkmen officials.

Under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan consistently pursues a foreign policy based on its permanent neutrality, principles of peace, good neighborliness, mutual trust, and equal cooperation. Prior to the ceremony, Arkadag Berdimuhamedov greeted the heads of delegations and joined distinguished guests for a photo session in front of the official banner of the Conference.

In his address, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highlighted the historic significance of the forum, held on the picturesque Caspian Sea coast. He emphasized that hosting the Conference during the International Year of Peace and Trust, initiated by Turkmenistan, underscores its relevance. The National Leader expressed confidence that joint efforts within the framework of international relations would yield significant results for peace, security, and sustainable development.

Speaking in Russian—one of the UN’s official languages—the National Leader of Turkmenistan thanked participants for their contributions to the forum. “We welcome you as dear guests, like-minded partners, and allies of Turkmenistan, united by the noble goals of peace, progress, and prosperity,” he said, concluding his speech with the words: “Welcome to Turkmenistan!”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his address, highly praised Turkmenistan’s efforts in organizing the forum, particularly noting the transformation of a sports facility in Awaza into a state-of-the-art conference center. “This conference was made possible thanks to the generosity of the government and people of Turkmenistan,” he stressed. Guterres also commended Turkmenistan’s humane approach to addressing statelessness, noting that the country has granted citizenship to all stateless persons on its territory, ensuring the protection of their rights.

The UN Secretary-General drew attention to the dual vulnerability of landlocked developing countries, which face challenges both as developing nations and as countries without access to maritime trade routes. This complicates trade, increases import costs, and reduces export competitiveness. Guterres called for reforming the international economic and financial system, established after World War II, to meet contemporary challenges. He emphasized the need for debt relief, increased concessional financing, and investments in infrastructure, including in neighboring countries.

“This conference is of historic importance. We are placing the challenges of landlocked developing countries at the center of the global agenda,” Guterres stated, expressing hope that the adopted action program would serve as a roadmap for overcoming barriers and ensuring equitable development.

Speech by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the celebration of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

Dear Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dear Heads of State, Dear leaders and high representatives of Governments and parliaments, Dear Heads of international organizations , Your Excellencies! Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the people of Turkmenistan, I warmly and cordially welcome you and express my gratitude for your participation in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

We consider such a wide representation at this Forum as a sign of respect for Turkmenistan, trust and appreciation of our country’s role in the international arena, its efforts to establish cooperation and mutual understanding.

We welcome all of you, dear participants of the Forum, to the Turkmen land as dear and welcome guests, like-minded people and partners of Turkmenistan, united by lofty goals of peace, progress and prosperity on the planet.

Welcome to Turkmenistan! Dear participants!

The holding of the current Conference is quite natural and deeply justified. It is an integral part of the extensive, serious work carried out by our countries over the years aimed at enhancing the role of developing countries in global processes, drawing attention to their problems and legitimate interests, and ensuring their rightful place in the modern world order.

This fully applies to the countries represented here, which make up a significant part of the developing world. We are convinced that the time has come to develop new effective and targeted approaches and mechanisms for cooperation on the issue of non-access to the sea.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, and the heads of relevant UN structures and bodies for their support and invaluable assistance in preparing the Forum.

In our opinion, this position of the leadership of the World Organization is indicative and convincing. It reflects the recognition of Turkmenistan’s constructive activities as a responsible member of the international community. We are firm and unchangeable in our foreign policy priorities, the main and defining of which is cooperation with the United Nations. This is a strategic choice, it has deep, ideological reasons. They are based on the coincidence of Turkmenistan’s long–term goals with the tasks of the United Nations on fundamental aspects of the global agenda. Furthermore, Turkmenistan’s actions on the international stage—its initiatives and proposals—are consistently measured against the practical work of the United Nations, its foundational resolutions, programmatic goals, and guiding principles.

For us, the UN is an international Organization with universal legitimacy. We consider the Community of Nations to be the mainstay of the entire modern system of the global world order, the guarantor of the preservation and maintenance of peace and stability on the world stage, and the sustainability of the international security architecture. We firmly believe that today, against the background of new geopolitical realities, the lofty humanistic ideals and principles of the UN Charter must remain the legal and moral pillar of the international order.

In this context, I would like to emphasize that holding a Conference in neutral Turkmenistan in the International Year of Peace and Trust has a special meaning.

Turkmenistan believes in the United Nations, in its enormous creative potential.

The multifaceted partnership with the Organization has been and will remain the cornerstone of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy. It has proven its viability, compliance with long-term national goals and interests of the entire world community, acting today as an important constructive factor in regional and global development.

Dear participants! Dear friends!

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the international recognition of Turkmenistan’s neutrality. This event took place within the walls of the United Nations, the 80th anniversary of which we are also celebrating together this year.

Thus, our neutrality is largely the result of the work and heritage of the entire world community. It is from this point of view that we realize this status and direct neutrality, its potential and tools to the benefit of all peoples and States of the world.

We strive to ensure that Turkmenistan’s neutrality creates conditions for building bridges of mutual understanding, provides a platform for respectful multilateral communication on key global issues, inter-civilizational dialogue, and responsible interaction in the economic, environmental, political, social, and humanitarian spheres.

An example of this approach is the current Conference, the atmosphere of friendship, cooperation, and mutual respect that we have tried to create for all participants.

Our hearts, thoughts and aspirations are open to the world. This is the main content of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy. The character of the Turkmen people, their respect for other peoples, their willingness to help, to show solidarity in practice – we carry these traits into our activities in the international arena. And this is not just a practice, it is the philosophy of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy.

Of course, when conducting it, we rely on our history, deep foundations, traditions and customs. Turkmens are a people with an ancient, rich and distinctive culture and mentality. At the same time, as a part of humanity, we strive to make a worthy contribution to its development.

Today, Turkmenistan actively leverages its existing capacities and accumulated experience to advance cooperation across priority areas: restoring respectful political and diplomatic dialogue; strengthening international law, as well as the role and authority of the United Nations; implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and key components of this comprehensive UN agenda—transport connectivity, energy, water and food security, access to healthcare and medical services, and issues on the humanitarian agenda.

Turkmenistan stands for the development of coordinated approaches to partnership, which should be based on long-term, strategic guidelines based on the combined economic and political potential of various states and international structures, and a willingness to use it responsibly for the sake of common socio-economic development and prosperity.

In this context, the goals of our Conference are very broad, ambitious, and have a global dimension. They are aimed at giving serious international impulses to political, economic, trade contacts, cultural, scientific interaction and enrichment processes.

I believe that in all these relations, the participating countries of the current Forum are called upon to play an effective role, to build partnership models that can and should be used in other formats, to work for the common good and the future of all mankind.

In this context, we note the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation, women’s, youth, children’s, and sports contacts. The events of this profile, organized by Turkmenistan over the years in cooperation with reputable international structures, have become notable events in the world. Therefore, we welcome the idea of holding various panels and thematic sessions at the Conference.

These include a ministerial meeting on South–South cooperation, civil and private sector forums, a meeting of women leaders, as well as parliamentary and youth forums. Today it is very important to use the entire arsenal of diplomacy, including people’s diplomacy, to preserve and strengthen peace and stability, to support the aspirations of peoples, all healthy and constructive forces for communication, mutual understanding and cooperation.

We hope that the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries and its outcome will serve to create solid foundations for further effective joint work.

It is designed to demonstrate the will, unity and determination of its participants, heads of State and Government of dozens of countries, heads of the most reputable and respected international associations and institutions to persistently and systematically conduct effective dialogue and practical interaction.

I wish all participants of the Conference successful work and great success in strengthening our cooperation and achieving common creative goals. ///nCa, 6 August 2025

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