Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk
KABUL: The issue of supporting the reconciliation processes in Afghanistan is of particular importance in the region, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at the international forum in Ashgabat on Tuesday, Trend reports referring to Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary state news agency.
The keynote of the event is “Turkmenistan and International Organizations: Cooperation for Peace and Development”. The event is dedicated to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the international recognition of Turkmenistan’s neutrality by the UN.
The president reaffirmed readiness of Turkmenistan, as a neutral country and direct neighbor of Afghanistan, to create all the necessary conditions for establishing a peaceful dialogue on Afghanistan.
“There is no alternative to the negotiation process,” the head of state said. “Previous experience has shown that the methods of using power are counterproductive and have no prospects.”
For many years, Turkmenistan has been rendering economic and humanitarian support to Afghanistan in various spheres, including construction of health care and educational facilities in the neighboring country, supply of electricity on preferential terms and training of Afghan students in Turkmen higher educational institutions. All these projects are financed by Turkmenistan.
The implementation of big infrastructure projects involving Afghanistan, primarily in such vital spheres as energy, transport and communications is the key condition for Afghanistan’s political stabilization, economic and social recovery, its successful integration into regional and world economic processes, the report said.
“We will continue to work on the implementation of projects and are ready to expand our cooperation with international organizations in rendering comprehensive support to Afghanistan,” the president said.
Turkmenistan supports the implementation of a number of regional infrastructure projects involving Afghanistan. In particular, Ashgabat is working on the implementation of projects through Afghanistan’s territory, such as the construction of a railway to Tajikistan and a pipeline to Pakistan and India. The projects on the use of Afghanistan’s territory as a transit route for the supply of Turkmen electricity are also being considered.
