UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca and newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General for Central Asia and Head of UNRCCA Natalia Gherman visit Turkmenistan

ASG Jenca and SRSG Gherman, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

28 Sep 2017

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca and newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General for Central Asia and Head of UNRCCA Natalia Gherman visit Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

On 27 and 28 September 2017, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca and newly appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, and Head of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Natalia Gherman, arrived on official visit to Ashgabat and were received by the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

During this meeting, the two UN Officials discussed with President Berdimuhamedov peace and security developments in the region, cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United Nations,  as well as ongoing reforms within the United Nations Organization, and in particular the emphasis on prevention.

Positive regional dynamics and trends were also in the focus of this encounter, with prospects for strengthened regional cooperation, notably through UNRCCA. The importance and relevance of preventive diplomacy, as advanced and promoted by UNRCCA in Central Asia, were highly valued during this exchange.

The President of Turkmenistan emphasized the importance of the Centre for the region and its particular relevance to address a wide range of contentious issues in the region, which include the use of transboundary water resources, environmental protection and other complex challenges to peace and security that Central Asia is facing.

ASG Jenca and SRSG Gherman thanked the President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for his continuous support to the mandate and activities of UNRCCA, and looked forward to the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Centre to be marked in Ashgabat by the end of 2017.  

During their visit, both UN Officials also met with the representatives of the diplomatic corps in Ashgabat and discussed regional developments and the Centre’s ongoing and planned preventive efforts in Central Asia.

ASG Jenca and SRSG Gherman were also in attendance at the closing ceremony of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games that were hosted by Turkmenistan in September 2017.  

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