A SIDE-EVENT ON THE “NATIONAL STRATEGY OF TURKMENISTAN FOR THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND COUNTERING TERRORISM” WAS HELD IN THE MARGINS OF JOINT OSCE-UNOCT HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE IN VIENNA

On February 12, 2020, a side-event dedicated to the “National Strategy of Turkmenistan for the Prevention of Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism for 2020-2024” was held in the margins of Joint Regional High-level Conference on terrorism convened by the OSCE, UNOCT and Switzerland, in cooperation with the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship in Vienna, Austria. The event was organized by Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to International Organizations in Vienna jointly with OSCE and UNRCCA.

Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under-Secretary-General and Head of the UNOCT, Ms. Natalia Gherman, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA, Mr. Thomas Greminger, Secretary General of the OSCE, Ms. Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to International Organisations in Vienna attended the side-event as speakers. In addition, Permanent Representatives of OSCE participating states as well as representatives of the UNODC, IOM, OSCE Institutions and other international organizations participated in the meeting.  

During the meeting, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan presented the “National Strategy of Turkmenistan for the Prevention of Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism for 2020–2024”.

It was also emphasized that when developing the National Strategy of Turkmenistan, special attention was paid to the principle of an integrated approach. For these purposes, a working group was created, in which 24 state structural organizations and public agencies participated.

In their speeches, high representatives of the UN and OSCE underlined the special role of Turkmenistan in ensuring security and sustainable development in the region. They also emphasized that Turkmenistan is the first country in Central Asia to adopt a national strategy to prevent violent extremism and counter terrorism. The participants of the event highly appreciated the policy of Turkmenistan regarding the fight against terrorism and extremism in all its manifestations.