President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the International Peace and Security Forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
"I am profoundly pleased to be once again in these lands, which we regard as our ancestral homeland. I sincerely celebrate Turkmenistan's National Leader, Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov, who gives meaning and form to the status of permanent neutrality, and I express my gratitude to my brother Serdar for bringing us together on this meaningful day.
I wholeheartedly congratulate the Turkmen people on the Day of Neutrality, and send greetings from your 86 million siblings in Türkiye. I would like to express that we find today's forum, for which Türkiye is also a joint presenter, very meaningful within the context of the United Nations 2025 International Year of Peace and Security. We take pride in and rejoice over every success of Turkmenistan, which has achieved significant economic and human development since its independence."
"Dear friends, Türkiye and Turkmenistan are two sister nations tightly bonded by ties deriving strength from their common history. The Turkish and Turkmen peoples are sibling nations originating from the same root and sharing the same spirit and belief. As the first country to recognize Turkmenistan's independence, we were also at the forefront in supporting its status of permanent neutrality.
"It is our sincerest wish that the war between our northern neighbors, Russia and Ukraine, comes to an end. We are ready to provide concrete support to diplomatic initiatives aimed at a ceasefire and peace, including the Istanbul process.
"In recent years, we have witnessed one of the most brutal massacres of the century in Gaza. Despite ongoing violations by Israel, the ceasefire remains fragile. Strong support from the international community is essential and must continue. We see it as imperative that Palestinians are included and contribute to all stages aimed at establishing peace. The ultimate goal is a two-state solution. It is time to pay our debt to the people of Palestine."
