On October 31, the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan hosted an international conference dedicated to the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution 'United Nations Friendship Games' initiated by our country.

The conference was attended by leaders and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, public organizations, media, university professors and students, as well as athletes.

On the eve of the conference, an exhibition was organized here, dedicated to the country's sports achievements and milestones in the development of the mass physical culture and health movement.

As is known, the 'United Nations Friendship Games' Resolution, initiated by Turkmenistan and unanimously supported by UN member states, was adopted on September 6 of this year at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The co-authorship of 87 countries became another international success of the foreign policy of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who consistently implements the initiatives of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

As a result of the reforms carried out in the field of sports, Turkmenistan has become a center for international competitions. Bright examples of this are the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the International Rally 'Amul–Hazar', the World Weightlifting and Kurash Championships, as well as international hockey and tennis competitions.

These major sporting events have become an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to the world that Turkmenistan intends to strengthen international cooperation, friendship, and mutual understanding, and to promote the development of the mass sports movement.

In this important endeavor, our country combines high humanistic principles, which, along with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, are directly related to achieving the goals of the Olympic movement.

As noted during the conference, Turkmenistan's initiatives for the development of the mass physical culture movement, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in society, and the development of sports diplomacy are widely supported by the international community. One of the evidences of this is the unanimous adoption of the Resolution 'Integration of Mass Cycling into Public Transport Systems for Sustainable Development' proposed by Turkmenistan at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, as well as the declaration of Ashgabat as the 'City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth' at the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS. It should also be noted that Turkmenistan has been elected a member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Education and Sport for 2023–2027.

It was emphasized that Turkmenistan, possessing the legal status of neutrality, actively cooperates with specialized UN agencies and other international organizations in the fields of public health, the promotion of healthy lifestyle principles, and the effective use of the potential of sports diplomacy to unite people in the interests of strengthening peace and well-being.

The participants of the international conference expressed their sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for promoting effective initiatives for the triumph of peace and friendship on the planet.