On December 9, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held an expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers with the participation of the heads of diplomatic missions, consular offices and missions to international organizations of our country abroad. The agenda included important issues related to the foreign policy of our country in the international arena. Opening the session, the Head of State announced that a great holiday would be celebrated on December 12 - the International Day of Neutrality, and sincerely congratulated those present and all our people on this remarkable date. As always, we forgive our citizens who have been convicted of crimes and who have sincerely repented of their crimes. We are holding charitable events, such as releasing them from punishment, the Honorable President noted. Then the floor was given to B. Gundogdyev, Secretary of the State Security Council, Head of the Commission for the Preparation of Proposals on Citizenship and Pardons under the President of Turkmenistan. He reported on the work carried out to pardon convicted persons on the occasion of the International Day of Neutrality. After listening to the report, our esteemed President, following the noble tradition, signed a Decree on pardoning 276 convicted citizens on the occasion of the International Day of Neutrality. He instructed the head of the group, together with the heads of law enforcement agencies, to release the pardoned people from prison and carry out all necessary measures so that they can soon return home to their families. The Head of State wished the pardoned people to work hard, serve their beloved Motherland wholeheartedly, and live a life of honest labor. Then the floor was given to Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov. First, on behalf of all employees of the diplomatic service of Turkmenistan, he sincerely congratulated the Honorable President on the International Day of Neutrality, wishing him good health and great success in his responsible state work. The Vice Premier also expressed his sincere gratitude to the Head of State on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices of Turkmenistan abroad for holding a broad meeting of the Government devoted to the foreign policy of the state and international relations. At the same time, it was emphasized that this meeting was a good opportunity to understand the assessment of the Honorable President of the results of Turkmenistan's activities in the world arena, the ways to strengthen the country's position in the system of international relations, and his views on the directions of our national diplomacy's work in the present and near future. These are guiding and fundamental principles for the employees of the national diplomatic service. As is known, 2025 will be one of the important years for Turkmenistan. In this regard, it is necessary to emphasize the significant milestones - the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and the fact that, at the initiative of our country, in accordance with the relevant Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, 2025 was declared the "Year of International Peace and Confidence". In this regard, it was noted that, following the results of the historic meeting of the People's Council of Turkmenistan held on September 24, 2024, it was noted that under the leadership of the Organizing Committee, established to ensure the high-level and organized holding of ceremonies and events related to the Year of International Peace and Confidence, all necessary work will be carried out to hold international events in Turkmenistan and abroad in a dignified manner, together with partners. As it was emphasized, the Honorable President attaches great importance to the development of the international direction of the state policy of Turkmenistan on a consistent and systematic basis. In this regard, for many years, under the leadership of our Hero, Turkmenistan has put forward important initiatives, ideas and proposals on key issues of the international agenda. They include topics related to strengthening global security, peace, development, ensuring energy security, developing transport diplomacy, protecting the environment, and strengthening humanitarian relations. In this regard, it was noted that this policy and constructive work, which are currently of great importance under the leadership of the Honorable President, are being continued at a worthy level. The results of such a policy, which takes into account the interests of all mankind, enjoy wide support in international structures, primarily in the United Nations Organization, and are clearly reflected in specific Resolutions of the United Nations and in international affairs. It was noted that in 2024, the UN General Assembly, at the initiative of our country, adopted 4 Resolutions: “2025 - the Year of International Peace and Confidence”; “Central Asia - a Zone of Peace, Confidence and Cooperation”; “Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia”. The Resolution “United Nations Games” adopted by the UN General Assembly is a sign of high appreciation for our country's efforts in the humanitarian sphere. This document is of great importance in strengthening friendship, cooperation and solidarity between different nations. Because today, humanitarian work is the basis for building peace and ensuring its stability from the point of view of human development. The adoption of these Resolutions, aimed at supporting peace at the regional and global levels, testifies to the successful implementation of the esteemed President's thoughtful foreign policy strategy. The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed sincere gratitude to the Honorable President on behalf of all employees of the diplomatic service for his special attention and consistent support for the improvement of the work of the diplomatic service of Turkmenistan, in particular, for his great efforts in training the service's personnel, strengthening its organizational, financial and logistical base, and further improving the working and living conditions of diplomats. He also assured that, based on the instructions to be given at today's meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, embassies, consulates abroad, and representative offices at international organizations will carry out programmatic work in 2025 to further strengthen political, foreign economic relations with foreign countries and international organizations, as well as cooperation in the fields of culture, science, education, and social affairs, based on the “Concept of the Foreign Policy of Neutral Turkmenistan for 2022-2028”. Then, addressing the participants of the meeting, the Honorable President said that today, the results of the work carried out in 2024 related to Turkmenistan's international cooperation will be summed up, and the key directions of our country's foreign policy and priority tasks for the coming year will be discussed. As noted, important international events were held in 2024. The 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Fraghi, the great son of the Turkmen people, was widely celebrated in the country and abroad. Nearly 170 important events were held abroad to mark this remarkable date. The main event was the holding of the international forum “Interconnection of eras and civilizations - the basis of peace and progress” in Ashgabat, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of Magtymguly Fraghi. Building on the philosophical heritage of Magtymguly, the forum served as an important unifying factor in strengthening international peace, strengthening mutual understanding, trust, and confidence in the power and future of a developed culture of dialogue. This international forum enhanced the prestige of Turkmenistan as a peace-loving state. It showed that the world community treats our country, the Turkmen people, its rich history and culture with great respect. The Head of State said that next year, large-scale events will be held in honor of the remarkable 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "Year of International Peace and Confidence" by the United Nations General Assembly at the initiative of our country. Our esteemed President noted that the unanimous adoption of the Resolution "Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia" at the initiative of Turkmenistan during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly is also an important event, and that it is a great honor for our country that many member states of the organization support our initiative, and he sincerely congratulated everyone on these events of historical significance and achievements. Our beloved Hero Serdar noted that these events, while broadly reflecting Turkmenistan's foreign policy, further glorify the work being carried out to ensure peace, sustainable development and develop relations based on trust throughout the world, and instructed to effectively continue joint work with international organizations in this area. Our esteemed President drew attention to the preparation of a major international document on the occasion of the International Day of Neutrality in 2025, noting that the norms of Neutrality should be clearly stated in this document, and instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop relevant instructions for our embassies and missions to international organizations in this regard. The Head of State noted that significant importance should be attached to mutual cooperation within the framework of the Group of Friends of Neutrality, established at the initiative of Turkmenistan in the interests of peace, security and sustainable development, and noted that a high-level meeting of this group would be held in Ashgabat on December 11. Our work should be carried out in two main directions, namely bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, the President continued, and instructed to attach great importance to increasing the number of states supporting the initiative to grant priority partner status to neutral countries in the United Nations peacekeeping efforts in order to implement Turkmenistan's Global Security Strategy in the future. The President also emphasized the need to intensify the work carried out at the bilateral level in order to increase the number of countries supporting our initiative to create a global energy security and sustainable development partnership. Recently, a new Department of Foreign Policy Information and Digital Diplomacy was established within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was also decided to introduce the position of press attaché in a number of our embassies. All these activities are systematic steps aimed at one goal. Namely, they are designed to publicize the achievements of our country and explain the essence of our foreign policy, continued the Honorable President. The Head of State said that in the International Year of Peace and Confidence, which will mark the remarkable 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's Neutrality, our country's foreign policy should clearly demonstrate itself in the international arena, the tasks set in information activities should be more ambitious, and the rich history, culture, traditions, ancient monuments, unique, beautiful nature, modern "smart" cities, and great achievements in all fields of our neutrality should be presented. For this purpose, all embassies of Turkmenistan were instructed to hold creative meetings in their host countries, establish regular cooperation with reputable orientalists, specialists working in the fields of history, archeology, culture, and correspondents. Our esteemed President said that the main task of our country's foreign policy and diplomatic work in the coming year, 2025, will be to implement the Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the initiative of Turkmenistan, and instructed to continue close cooperation with the UN Secretariat, in addition to the UN member states. The Head of State emphasized that Turkmenistan is currently carrying out relevant work on the implementation of joint programs with the United Nations. Among them are the “Framework Program for Cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United Nations on Sustainable Development for 2026-2030”, the joint program of the United Nations agencies “Youth, Peace and Security”. Also, on December 6 of this year, a regular meeting of the “Turkmenistan - United Nations” Strategic Advisory Council was held. Based on the results of that meeting, the “Roadmap for Strengthening Accountability for Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan in 2025-2027” was adopted. The Head of State noted that the Concept of the Foreign Policy Direction of Neutral Turkmenistan is very broad and encompasses many issues, and said that Turkmenistan will continue to strengthen its cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels in the coming year. Emphasizing that relations with neighboring countries are a priority, the Honorable President noted that Turkmenistan will continue to strengthen relations with Central Asian countries and the Caspian region based on brotherhood, good neighborliness, and mutual respect, and will further develop cooperation with the states of South Asia, the Near and Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Our Honorable Gahryman Serdar emphasized that global economic and technological developments are currently being achieved in these regions, and the countries of these regions are also showing great interest in cooperation with Turkmenistan. The Honorable President continued by saying that equal, mutually beneficial relations based on mutual respect with European and American countries will also continue to be developed, and emphasized the need to cooperate with these countries in the field of high technology, the transition to "green" energy, and the introduction of artificial intelligence, and to pay special attention to relations with African countries in our foreign policy. Addressing all representatives of Turkmenistan to international organizations, the Head of State emphasized that multilateral diplomacy will be of great importance next year and instructed them to take appropriate measures to increase the number of countries that support Turkmenistan's views as a neutral state and provide effective support to our country in this area. The Honorable President noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country is carrying out programmatic work to meet significant dates and celebrations in a worthy manner, and that an organizational committee was created in September of this year to hold the measures for the International Year of Peace and Confidence. He instructed the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan to prepare for the first meeting of the organizational committee in January of next year, to prepare proposals for its agenda, and said that the committee would approve the plan of events to be held at this meeting. Addressing the participants of the meeting, our hero, Gahryman Serdar, said that we must work diligently with the world community to meet the very important historical and remarkable date in 2025 - the remarkable 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and the measures of the International Year of Peace and Confidence with wonderful events and great successes. He expressed his firm belief that the employees of our country's diplomatic service will do great work in protecting the interests of Independent, Neutral Turkmenistan in the international arena. Then the Head of State signed the Resolution "On Financial Issues of the Diplomatic Service of Turkmenistan", as well as documents on awarding citizens of our country and foreign citizens with the anniversary medal "300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi" and a commemorative sign. Then, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov made a speech and noted that during the Cabinet meeting convened by the Honorable President, very important issues were considered, the main directions of the country's foreign policy strategy were determined, and new tasks were set for the national diplomatic service. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of the Resolution signed by the Head of State on the financial issues of the diplomatic service of Turkmenistan, expressed sincere satisfaction on behalf of the service's employees, and assured that they would work diligently to successfully fulfill the tasks ahead. Our esteemed President noted that our country successfully develops bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries around the world. The Head of State noted that a number of important events are planned in the country and abroad in the coming year, expressing strong confidence that the employees of the national diplomatic service will work effectively to further enhance Turkmenistan's international prestige. Speaking, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to the Swiss Confederation, Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Office in Geneva, V. Hajiyev, first of all, sincerely congratulated the Honorable President on the 29th anniversary of the permanent neutrality of our Motherland and the International Day of Neutrality. As noted, the development of cooperation with the United Nations and its constituent entities is one of the main directions of our country's foreign policy. In this regard, relevant work is also carried out on a regular basis with specialized agencies located in Geneva. In particular, active communication is maintained with one of the largest of these agencies, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. As is known, in 2025 Turkmenistan will chair the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), the work of which is coordinated by the Economic Commission for Europe. In this regard, the necessary preparatory work is currently being carried out in this area. Based on the noble initiatives of our hero Arkadag, and under the wise leadership of our hero Serdar Arkadagly, the work carried out by our country within the framework of the International Organization for Migration, including its efforts to fulfill its obligations arising from international agreements and conventions to which Turkmenistan is a party, is recognized by the world community. He concluded by noting that the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Swiss Confederation will take all necessary measures. Also speaking, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Afghanistan H. Ovezov congratulated the Honorable President on the International Day of Neutrality and wished him good health, prosperity, and success in his work for the benefit of the country. As noted, Turkmenistan's foreign policy attaches great importance to the continuous development of relations with regional and neighboring countries, including Afghanistan. Cooperation between our countries in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres is carried out on the basis of the principles of friendship and good neighborliness. Traditionally, Turkmenistan has been providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and its people on a regular basis for many years. For this, the Afghan leadership and the Afghan people express their gratitude to the Honorable President, the National Leader of the Turkmen people. Turkmenistan, based on good neighborly traditions, friendship and brotherhood, is implementing very important projects for the entire region. Among them are the projects of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline along the Serhetabat-Herat section of the Arkadag highway, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan electricity pipeline, and the railways from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan and through this country to other countries in the region. Ambassador Gahryman assured that the tasks set before the Embassy to further strengthen the increasingly developed cooperation between the two neighboring countries through the efforts of the Honorable President will be successfully implemented. Our esteemed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, summing up the enlarged meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, cordially congratulated the participants of the meeting on the International Day of Neutrality and wished them good health, prosperity, and great success in their work for the benefit of the dear people. *** Today, after the conclusion of the expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, a ceremony was held in the “Oguz Khan” palace complex to present the Turkmenistan jubilee medal “300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi” and a set of commemorative plaques to His Excellency President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as members of the Government, heads of the country's military and law enforcement agencies. At the beginning of the ceremony, the Speaker of the National Parliament D. Gulmanova read out the relevant resolution of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan. In the era of the Revival of the new era of the sovereign state, in order to achieve comprehensive prosperity and development of our Motherland, to strengthen cooperation with world countries and authoritative international organizations, to strengthen peace, friendship and brotherhood, to glorify the cultural and spiritual values ​​and cultural heritage of the Turkmen people in the world, to collect and study the rich literary heritage of the outstanding Turkmen classical poet, great thinker of the East, Magtymguly Fragi, which has entered the golden treasury of world literature, on a scientific basis, to propagate and implement important political, philosophical, social, humanistic, spiritual and moral views that have become indestructible pillars of Turkmen society, to educate the younger generation on the basis of the spiritual and moral views of Magtymguly Fragi, to develop high moral qualities in youth, to immortalize the literary heritage of the wise poet by law, and to take into account the proposals received from representatives of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, large public associations, labor groups and citizens of our country, and in honor of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Magtymguly Fragi, in accordance with the Decree of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, the Honorable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was solemnly awarded the jubilee medal of Turkmenistan "300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi" and a set of commemorative plaques. delivered. Then, a ceremony was held to present the "300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi" jubilee medal and a set of commemorative plaques to the Chairman of the Parliament of Turkmenistan, the Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Director General of the Transport and Communications Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers, and the heads of military and law enforcement agencies. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Meredov, on behalf of the members of the Government, cordially congratulated Honorable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the state award and the International Day of Neutrality. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the Head of State for being awarded the jubilee medal “300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi” and a set of commemorative plaques, and assured that they would continue to make every effort to further comprehensively develop our Motherland and make a worthy contribution to the implementation of the large-scale reforms initiated by our Heroic Arkadagh and successfully implemented under the leadership of our Heroic Serdar Arkadagh. Then, on behalf of the entire personnel of the military and law enforcement agencies, the Secretary of the State Security Council, Minister of Defense B. Gundogdyev, sincerely congratulated the President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the occasion of awarding him the jubilee medal “300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi” and a set of commemorative plaques, and expressed his best wishes. He expressed deep gratitude to the Honorable President for presenting the heads of the military and law enforcement agencies with government awards, and assured that the defenders of the Motherland would make every effort to successfully fulfill the responsible tasks set before them. Our esteemed President expressed gratitude for the congratulations and kind wishes and said that he accepts the award presented to him on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of our great thinker and poet Magtymguly Fragi, the jubilee medal of Turkmenistan “300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi”, as a gift to our people. The award of this jubilee medal obliges us to continue to work diligently and persistently for the prosperity of our Fatherland and the prosperous and happy life of our brave people, noted our hero Serdar of Arkadag. At the end of the ceremony, Honorable President Serdar Berdimuhamedov congratulated everyone on the International Day of Neutrality, as well as on the presentation of government awards, and wished them great success in their work for the further prosperity of our independent, neutral Motherland.