Turkmenistan and IAEA Sign an Agreement
Topic: Permanent Neutrality
On 17 May 2005 a ceremony of signing the Agreement between Turkmenistan and the IAEA on Applying the Guarantees in connection with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and Supplementary Protocol to that Treaty was held at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

Signing the main documents regulating co-operation of the IAEA with other states and international organisations is an important step on the way of strengthening peace and security both in the region and in the world. It should be said that our country ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty in September 1994.

Thus signing the present Protocol was a logic continuation of the participation of Turkmenistan in process of non-proliferation and demonstrates the adherence of the country to the its international obligations of a neutral state steadily realising the policy of international co-operation in the sphere of peace and disarmament.

In connection with signing the documents mentioned above the IAEA General Director Mohamed El Baradei especially stressed the importance of co-operation between the IAEA and Turkmenistan in the sphere of non-proliferation. Speaking of that he said that the IAEA would closely co-operate with Turkmenistan in future as well, conducting special courses and seminars for the Turkmen specialists.

State Information Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)