OREANDA-NEWS. January 20, 2010. The roundtable focused on the implementation of international humanitarian law in the national legislation was conducted at the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan. The forum organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) brought together the representatives of the national parliament, ministries and departments, higher educational institutions and journalists.

Deputy Head of the Regional Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Central Asia Francois Blaisse and Head of the Department of Prevention and International Programmes S. Belyaev took part in the meeting.

The meeting participants discussed the legal framework and practical measures for implementing international humanitarian law standards in the national legislation. The forum participants learnt about the best international practices of the national commissions and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The national experts emphasized that neutrality of Turkmenistan stood as the essential guarantor of implementing international humanitarian law norms, facilitated the development and modernization of the national legislation. Having joined most international agreements and ratified 118 conventions independent neutral Turkmenistan demonstrated steadfast commitment to its international obligation and served as one of the major peacemaking centres in the Central Asian region.

Putting emphasis on the effectiveness of the recent activities carried out in this sphere the participants focused on the importance of the efforts to establish the working group on international humanitarian law; presented the reports on the progress in drafting the law of Turkmenistan on the status of the Red Crescent National Society, the Regulations on the interagency working group on the implementation of international humanitarian law, discussed the issues of studying international humanitarian law at the secondary and higher educational institutions of the country.

Summing up the roundtable the participants called for enhancing cooperation on distribution of knowledge and promoting the integration of international humanitarian law in the national legislation.