Honorable Mr. Chairman, Honorable Heads of delegations, Your Excellencies,
Allow me to express my appreciation to the President of Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellency Mr.Seyed Mohammad Khatami for the hospitality rendered to us and creation of conditions for our meeting. I congratulate you, dear President Khatami on your election as the Chairman of the Sixth ECO Summit.
The last decade of the twentieth century was marked by events that led to the change in the global and geo-economic infrastructure. Emergence of new independent states has resulted in increase of the role of the regional economic co-operation, re-evaluation of the former stereotypes regarding the separate territories, strengthening of principles of equality and mutually beneficial partnership in international relations. At the same time, it is evident that the globalisation process destined to open broad opportunities for the global development in which everyone is in benefit, in reality acquires to-day, to much regret, the unilateral nature, keeping, as a matter of fact, developing countries away from building a new system of international relations, reflects negative tendency of the increasing economic, technological and cultural gap between the North and South. It is a disturbing simptom, and the task of the majority of countries to-day, as heads of the report of UN Secretary General to the Millennium Assembly stress, is to turn globalisation to a mechanism of equal participation in development and decision-making of not only selected countries and peoples on the international level. In this 'respect, interaction of states sharing the philosophy of fair and undiscriminatory global economic development gains special importance. We can be proud to state ECO members belong to such category of countries. The experience of cooperation within ECO demonstrates that when good will and mutual respect for interests is available there open up broad opportunities for solving large tasks of the regional and inter-regional dimension. ECO Summits of 1996, 1997 and 1998 defined priority areas of economic development for countries of the region such as transport and communications, pipelines network, power energy and trade. Many of them have already been realised, the practical work is carried out on others.
However, frankly sharing my opinion with you, I deem it necessary to underscore that tendencies began to emerge recently reflecting some efficiency reduction in ECO activities, carrying away with organisational matters, considerable decrease in formerly practised bilateral contacts on the
high level between the Secretariat and respective Governments of ECO member countries. It is necessary to preserve in ECO the sound pragmatism, consideration of national and political and economic specifics, where no unrealisable decisions are made and no premature projects are adopted. We have developed regional pipeline, transport and power energy programmes that have to be implemented through bilateral and multilateral efforts. The proposed ECO Tehran Declaration includes this provision.
For Turkmenistan it is of principal importance that the logic of cooperation of ECO member countries for the sake of rennaissance of the region and prosperity of its nations fully conforms with basic provisions of the "Strategy of socio-economic transformations in Turkmenistan for the period until 2010". Its main direction is drastic transformation of the country's economy, its correspondence to requirements of time. The oil and gas sector having the priority status is complemented to-day by the accellerated development of the textile industry, agriculture and petroleum industry. This basis makes participation of Turkmenistan in ECO economically and politically motivated.
Possesing real reserves of natural gas Turkmenistan is interested in exporting it to world markets in frameworks of multiple international pipeline infrastructure. We are for the principle of complementarity and oppose replacement of one project by the other. At the same time, while considering any projects Turkmenistan stands for the balance of interests of and mutual benefit for all parties involved, creation of an international legal mechanism aimed at realising the interests of suppliers, countries in transit and consumers. Our country objects strongly to the use of pipelines as an instrument of political manipulation and economic dictate.
The "Strategy of socio-economic transformations in Turkmenistan for the period until 2010" includes projects of construction and reconstruction of transport routes and telecommunications correlating
organicly with tasks of the 10 year Programme of transport and communications development in ECO region. Turkmenistan contributes to creation of such transport infrastructure allocating considerable financial resources of its own. Turkmenistan's approach to realisation of its national transportation programme was highly assessed by the Third meeting of ECO Transport and Communication Ministers in Islamabad late last April.
Being here in Tehran, I can't help underlining the first noticeable push to the regional process which was initiated by Iran and Turkmenistan when they built the railway connecting cities of Tejen, Sarakhs and Mashad. This railway has become the golden link of the trans-Asia main railway from Istanbul to Beijing and provided the regional states with access to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. Turkmenistan carries out intensive road construction as a prospective component of international transport projects. 203 km long
railway connecting cities of Turkmenabat and Atamurat has been constructed. 530 km long railway and highway from Ashgabat to Dashoguz via Karakum desert costing US$ 1.5 billion are under construction. The fibre-optic communication line and electricity line are planned to be laid along this railway. Last April construction of 600 km Ashgabat-Mary highway has been started. Everything is ready for large-scale reconstruction of the sea port in the city of Turkmenbashy with completion of which the harbour will be capable to render first class services to various ships. The above-mentioned projects will promote the growth of the country's economy and strengthening of Turkmenistan's ties with countries of the region.
While discussing the prospects of development of the economic cooperation among our countries one political issue of peace and security in the region can't be evaded. The problem of the Afghan settlement and revivial of Afghanistan remains the most complicated one. In its approaches to relations with Afghanistan Turkmenistan proceeds from the long-term interests of the Turkmen and Afghan peoples, respect for the individual choice of Afghans, preservation of humanitarian contacts, maintenance of the direct non-politicised dialogue between common people of both countries. We are greateful to all of Afghans for recognition of and respect for our neutral policy. Together with UN and OIC and all other interested parties Turkmenistan continues to render assistance to the Afghan people in their search for peace and accord. We believe UN has necessary potential to-day to achieve the Afghan settlement. We believe in words and actions of the new Special Envoy of the UN General Secretary on Afghanistan, Mr. Francisco Vendrell. We welcome the initiative of Iran to practically involve OIC to this process. It can bring in additional dynamics to Afghan settlement. Without peace in Afghanistan ECO's development would be ineffective. It means that within our Organisation mutual understanding and trust on the political level and readiness to take into account realities and long-term interests of Afghanistan are needed.
I close by expressing, once again, my gratitude to the Iranian brothers for the hospitality and underlining that Turkmenistan stands ready to expand and deepen co-operation between our states on agreed principles. In ECO we see a promicing potential for assistance to national programmes of economic development of member countries aimed at achieving the main goal - well-being and prosperity of the people of the region.
Thank you for attention.
