I would first like to congratulate you, President Deiss,
on your election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at it sixty-fifth session. I wish you every
success.
For Kyrgyzstan, 2010 has been a year of
profound changes and serious challenges to our
continued existence, unity and statehood. In April,
having overthrown the authoritarian system of State
governance, with its flagrant corruption and illegality,
the Kyrgyz people resolutely chose a path to renewal
and genuine democratic development.
Nevertheless, in May and June, the world
witnessed acutely destabilizing situations in the south
of Kyrgyzstan, where radical forces of the former
Government and criminal and extremist groups sought
revenge. Accordingly, they provoked bloody clashes
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between Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities, who have
lived and worked in peace side by side for centuries.
Those extremist forces insidiously played the
ethnic card by knowingly exploiting the precariousness
of such socio-economic problems as poverty, high
unemployment — especially among youth — corruption
and unequal access to economic and financial resources,
which were ignored by the former Government.
In that difficult period, the interim Government
succeeded in consolidating all positive and patriotic
forces among the people. With the assistance of the
international community, the interim Government was
able to stabilize the situation and thereby prevent a
return to the past.
On 27 June, a new Constitution was adopted by
national referendum that provided the basis for
parliamentary Government in the country. Today, we
can in good conscience declare that all the necessary
political, economic and organizational conditions have
been established for the holding of transparent
parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan on 10 October
2010. Kyrgyzstan has a unique opportunity to build a
truly democratic parliamentary State based on the rule
of law and human rights. I am confident that the people
of Kyrgyzstan will show wisdom and a high level of
political involvement and not miss this chance.
In order to move successfully along the path of
democratic development and prevent future political
and socio-economic disturbances, we intend to
thoroughly analyse the origins and reasons behind the
apparent conflicts that took place in our country in the
past year, and more specifically over the past six
months.
At present a State commission to investigate the
reasons for the conflict is at work. The commission
consists of prominent political activists, scientists and
experts, of Kyrgyz, Uzbek and other nationalities that
make up multinational Kyrgyzstan. An international
independent commission has also begun its work,
supported by the United Nations, the European Union,
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) and Nordic countries. We should
identify the organizers of the bloody clashes, seek what
lessons can be learned, try to comprehend and
eradicate the causes of friction and seek ways to reach
inter-ethnic accord in the society.
But most important, the realization of the tragic
and futile nature of the results of extremist actions
must become established in the minds of the peoples of
the various ethnic communities living in Kyrgyzstan.
An unshakable commitment to national unity and
nationhood must become the cohesive element and
uniting force in the country.
We are expanding the various forms of
cooperation with regional international organizations in
order to further stabilize the situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Thus, with a view to rendering assistance to law
enforcement staff and restoring confidence between
people and local administrations, the negotiations on
engaging the OSCE police advisory group are
concluding. In line with agreements reached, the
partner countries of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization render procurement and advisory
assistance.
The Kyrgyz Republic highly appreciates the
position and actions of the leadership of the Republic
of Uzbekistan, and of President Islam Karimov
personally, in stabilizing the situation in the south of
our country, especially in the first days of the unrest.
We are also grateful for the support and invaluable
assistance rendered by the Government of that
brotherly country to citizens of Kyrgyzstan displaced
into Uzbekistan, and for facilitating their return.
We are sincerely grateful to all those who
responded to the call for help and assistance in the
framework of the flash appeal for Kyrgyzstan launched
by the United Nations, and also for comprehensive
support provided on a bilateral basis.
The immediate humanitarian assistance from
friendly countries, international organizations and
agencies and United Nations institutions has been vital
in stabilizing the crisis situation and overcoming the
destructive consequences of a humanitarian
catastrophe. As of today we have received 40 per cent
of the required help within the framework of the
appeal. It is obviously not sufficient, given the urgent
need of the population on the streets of the affected
cities and settlements. People still need housing, the
wounded need medical care, and schools and social
service buildings need to be rebuilt.
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At present our Government is focusing its basic
efforts on post-conflict reconstruction of the country’s
social and economic infrastructure, especially in the
southern regions. Therefore, timely and practical
implementation of commitments made at the donor
conference on Kyrgyzstan held in Bishkek this July is
extremely important.
Kyrgyzstan supports the position of Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon, stated on 23 September at the
Security Council Summit (see S/PV.6389), on
strengthening the role of the United Nations in
responding to humanitarian catastrophes and resolving
crisis situations.
The establishment of the United Nations Regional
Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia was
an important and necessary step on the part of the
United Nations. We consider it essential to expand and
strengthen its operations, which will allow it to
implement a package of preventive measures and to
activate mediation services. We also welcome the
launch of a counter-terrorism strategy for the Central
Asian region and are ready to strengthen cooperation
aimed at adoption of a joint action plan by 2011.
The Security Council summit prompts us to
consider more seriously the problem of terrorism. The
events of June of this year in the Kyrgyz Republic —
when various terrorists groups attempted to enter the
territory of Kyrgyzstan by mountain paths from
neighbouring countries — testify to the presence of
real threats of terrorism to the peace and security of the
States bordering Afghanistan.
Terrorist groups joining forces with drug barons
and other criminal elements is a great concern. Such
combustible hybrids should be eliminated by the most
drastic measures. Therefore, the Kyrgyz State drug
control agency, which was liquidated a year ago, has
recently been restored. As we intensify our efforts in
the fight against illegal drug trafficking, we are
extremely interested in furthering a strategic
programme for the countries of Central Asia to oppose
illegal drug trafficking and fighting international
crime. We must further strengthen the activity of the
Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination
Centre in fighting illegal trafficking of psychotropic
substances and their precursors under the aegis of the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The action plan of the European Union and the
Central Asian countries for 2009-2013 should become
an important part of international efforts to fight illegal
drug trafficking, along with coordinated actions within
the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent
States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We
continually call upon the United Nations to improve
coordination of the fights against drug trafficking and
transnational organized crime.
In Afghanistan, the fragile process of
peacekeeping and reconciliation and the development
of the institutional structures are points of special
concern. The recent parliamentary elections in that
country inspire some optimism about strengthening
civil society and creating a parliament of national
unity. The construction of a stable economy and
effective support of Afghanistan’s State institutions
will serve as the basis for a durable peace in that
country and will reduce the threat to security in the
Central Asian region. Kyrgyzstan supports
international programmes for Afghanistan’s economic
reconstruction and is ready to contribute material and
personnel and to work closely with the anti-terrorist
coalition.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
last May demonstrated the possibility of achieving an
understanding in the critical sphere of nuclear
disarmament. My country is also contributing to that
effort. Kyrgyzstan has been designated as the
depositary of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone in Central Asia. Thus it promotes regional
security while broadening collaboration with other
nuclear-weapon-free zones.
The ecological dimension is a special feature of
the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central
Asia. That is because there remains a large quantity of
uranium tailings in Kyrgyzstan, which poses a serious
risk to human life and to the environment in general.
On this matter, we are grateful to the United Nations
Development Programme for its increased attention to
those zones of high ecological risk and for conducting
an international meeting in 2009.
We would like to call delegates’ attention to item
97 (i) on the Assembly’s agenda for this session,
entitled “Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone
in Central Asia”, and we ask them to support it.
United Nations peacekeeping operations are a key
tool in preserving and maintaining peace on our planet.
Kyrgyzstan is the only country in the region that is
contributing more than 30 peacekeepers to United
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Nations missions in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean,
and it is ready to increase its participation in United
Nations peacekeeping operations.
The delegation of Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly
come out in favour of fully optimizing the management
of peacekeeping operations. It supports the
comprehensive strategy for field support and its
reform, as documented in “A New Partnership Agenda:
Charting a New Horizon for UN Peacekeeping”. We
are convinced of the vital importance of involving such
authoritative regional organizations as the European
Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe and the Collective Security Treaty
Organization in peacekeeping activities and post-
conflict reconstruction.
Kyrgyzstan is devoted to the purposes and tasks
of strengthening international peace and security, and,
as a candidate for non-permanent membership on the
Security Council, is ready to contribute to the cause of
peace, especially by participating in the work of the
Council and its committees.
We wish to focus the Assembly’s attention on the
issues of environmental safety and hydropower. Recent
studies have confirmed the loss of more than 20 per
cent of Kyrgyzstan’s glaciers and snowfields, which
requires urgent efforts to preserve our river headwaters
and restore our forests. Kyrgyzstan is interested in the
rational exploitation of its resources, an attractive
investment climate, preserving ecological security and
developing alternative energy sources. We need to
launch regional projects within the framework of the
Central Asia/South Asia Regional Electricity Market,
starting with the construction of a Kyrgyzstan-
Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan electric power line.
We pledge our full support to developing concrete
measures at the forthcoming sixteenth Climate Change
Conference in Cancún in November. Among the
practical steps to be taken in this area, I will mention
that the forthcoming International Conference of
Mountain Countries, on climate change, to be held in
Kathmandu, will be making broad proposals for the
Cancún meeting.
Kyrgyzstan is studying significant projects on
sustainable development and supports Mr. László
Borbély in his work for the nineteenth session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development. Our
imperative is achieving the agenda of the twenty-first
century and making the Johannesburg Plan of Action a
reality.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the
activity of the United Nations must respond fully to the
expectations of people throughout the planet and that
we, countries both small and large, must not forget the
responsibility we bear for our actions. I also wish for
all the wisdom and courage that will help us in
achieving the enduring purposes and values of our
Organization in building a better peace.