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Turkmenistan has offered to hold a forum on security and peace in Central Asia and Caspian basin region in 2013, UN News Center reported.

Turkmenistan has been committed to support world community efforts to prevent the threaten of uncontrolled proliferation of mass destruction weapons since the first years of independence, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to UN Aksoltan Atayeva said during her speech in the First Committee of 67th session of UN General Assembly in New York.

The ambassador noted that Turkmenistan joined the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1994 and is a member of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

Atayeva said that Turkmenistan supports creation of multilateral cooperation mechanism for the countries of Central Asia and Caspian region. In this regard, the ambassador spoke on the results of the international conference on disarmament in Central Asia and the Caspian basin under UN auspices held in Ashgabat on June 24, 2010.

Noting that strengthening of neighborhood and cooperation relations are priorities for her country's foreign policy, the Turkmen ambassador proposed to launch formation of mechanism of multilateral political dialogue with participation of regional states, neighbor countries and interested international groups in order to develop mutually acceptable approaches to essential issues of current perspective development in Central Asia and Caspian basin region. In this regard, she offered to hold a forum on security and peace in Central Asia and Caspian basin region in Asgabat in 2013.

Atayeva drew attention to Turkmenistan's initiative to consider establishment of subregional UN center on disarmament in Asia.

The ambassador reminded that the signing of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia in September, 2006 by Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was an important stage for activation of the states' joint activity in the field of nonproliferation of mass destruction weapons and disarmament in the region.

Atayeva underlined that the Treaty became a unique document which established international legal base for creation of a wide nuclear weapon-free region on Asian continent. She stated that Turkmenistan supports creation of nuclear-free zone in Middle East.