23-04-2025
Beyond borders: Turkmenistan's global fight for children's rights
On this episode, Riz Khan travels to Turkmenistan, the Central Asian nation with a population of 7 million and borders that include Iran and Afghanistan. At a time when the world is struggling to resolve conflicts from Europe to Africa to the Middle East, Turkmenistan is marking the 30th anniversary of its Principle of Neutrality, a status reaffirmed by the United Nations for three decades. It's a principle that's enabled the government in Ashgabat to maintain friendly relations with both East and West, and is a central pillar of Turkmenistan's foreign policy.
With one of the world's largest reserves of gas, the country is developing pipelines to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, as well as China, furthering its ambitions as a major player in global energy. And the country has been reaching out to the world in other ways, as part of the International Year of Peace and Trust, supporting peace initiatives and supplying medical and humanitarian aid to women and children in need across the region and beyond, including Palestinian families.
At the center of those programs is the Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation, focused on children. On this episode, Riz Khan sits down with the foundation's Vice President for Medical Activities, Oguljahan Atabayeva.
