Allow
me to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Nassir
Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his assumption of the post of
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth
session. I have every confidence that his wealth of
experience will contribute to the achievement of
important results in our collective work. I would also
like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon
on his reappointment as Secretary-General.
Two weeks ago the people of Tajikistan
celebrated a solemn event in their modern history —
the twentieth anniversary of independence for the
Republic of Tajikistan. Despite numerous difficulties
and challenges, the Republic of Tajikistan, during the
years of its independence, has succeeded in achieving
considerable progress and laying a foundation for
gradual social and economic development. We greatly
appreciate the contributions made by the United
Nations and its Member States to the establishment and
development of an independent, sovereign and
democratic Tajikistan, governed by the rule of law.
The maintenance of peace and security remains a
top priority for the entire international community. For
this reason, it is essential that Member States shoulder
their due responsibilities and take the joint measures
necessary to bring a speedy halt to wars and conflicts.
We welcome the settlement in South Sudan and the
accession of the Republic of the South Sudan as the
new, 193rd Member of the United Nations. Tajikistan
also calls on all parties concerned to maximize their
efforts towards a speedy and full settlement of the
continuing conflict in the Middle East. We support the
State of Palestine in its efforts to take its well-deserved
place as a fully fledged member of the community of
nations.
The Government of Tajikistan, aware of its
responsibility for addressing social and economic
issues, has been working consistently to maximize its
own capacity to attain the Millennium Development
Goals. Implementation of our national strategy for
development of the Republic of Tajikistan is a key
priority of our Government. Proceeding from
principles of sustainable development for our economy,
the Government of Tajikistan has identified three major
goals: ensuring energy and food security, and tackling
the country’s isolation in terms of communications.
International trade and direct investments can
also help in achieving our development goals. We
believe that the international trade system must remain
open, fair, predictable and non-discriminatory. Guided
by these principles, Tajikistan is currently in active
talks on joining the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In this regard, we are seeking the support of WTO
member States to help speed up the process of
Tajikistan’s entry.
The problems of climate change and its negative
effects cannot be overcome without the collective and
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coordinated efforts of the entire international
community. We know that climate change affects fresh
water resources as well as exacerbating extreme floods,
landslides, droughts and other natural disasters. In
Tajikistan, where about 60 per cent of the water
resources for the whole of Central Asia originate, more
than 35 per cent of glaciers have disappeared in the last
30 years. The accelerated melting of glaciers creates
additional risks for sustainable development and
regional water, energy and food security. In that regard,
at the United National Climate Change Conference in
Copenhagen, the President of Tajikistan put forward a
proposal to set up an international fund for saving
glaciers, which could combine the efforts of the
international community in this strategically important
area. We hope that Member States will support this
initiative.
The comprehensive development of hydroelectricity,
combined with other types of renewable energy, will
enable us not only to increase the capacity of our
energy systems but also to enhance their stability and
increased efficiency, and considerably decrease
harmful emissions into the atmosphere. For more than
10 years, the Republic of Tajikistan has experienced a
severe electric power shortage in winter. Owing to a
lack of other energy sources, it is vital that Tajikistan,
which possesses enormous hydropower potential, begin
to undertake consistent, comprehensive development of
its hydro-energy sector.
Tajikistan is prepared to cooperate closely on all
issues of the rational use of water and energy resources
with every country in the region and with due
consideration for common regional interests. This has
been repeatedly emphasized by the President of
Tajikistan, Mr. Emomali Rahmon, including in the
General Assembly’s general debate at its sixty-third
and sixty-fourth sessions, and in other international
forums on the subject of water.
As is well known, in the second half of the
twentieth century the Central Asian region was
confronted with a massive ecological crisis: the drying
up of the Aral Sea. Wilful disregard for rational,
careful and responsible use of natural resources has led
to the death, for all practical purposes, of the Aral Sea.
The enormous number of reservoirs that have been
built and continue to be built across vast areas
downstream of the Aral Sea have also contributed
considerably to its drying up. The total water content
of those reservoirs and bodies of water represents
1.5 times the water content of the Aral Sea.
Overcoming this crisis will require not just massive
capital investment in the water sector but also political
will and a readiness to implement long-term joint
measures for the rational use of water and energy
resources throughout the Aral Sea region.
It is for this reason that Tajikistan suggested that
the United Nations should carry out a comprehensive
expert study of water use in Central Asia, including on
issues related to the effectiveness and rationality of the
use of existing reservoirs and an investigation of the
environmental situation in the region as a whole.
Water is a crucial resource of immense
importance to sustainable development and to life on
our planet. We need to strengthen international and
regional water cooperation through the effective use of
existing mechanisms and instruments. With that in
mind, Tajikistan called for the proclamation of 2013 as
the International Year of Water Cooperation.
Terrorism is one of the major threats to the
international peace and security. Tajikistan condemns
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We
believe that we must swiftly adopt a universal
convention on international terrorism.
The prevention of illicit drug trafficking is part of
the fight against terrorism. The urgency of this problem
is a clear indication of the threat it poses to
international stability and security. My country is
making its contribution to the fight against the drug
trade. We have set up an anti-drugs body that
cooperates with other international organizations and
similar services of other States in taking measures to
fight illicit drug trafficking in our region.
Tajikistan reiterates its commitment to the full
and effective implementation of the Ottawa
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,
Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and
on Their Destruction. My country unreservedly
supports a mine-free Central Asia. We support the
adoption of measures leading to the demining of mined
areas and the tackling of other mine-related problems.
Tajikistan is concerned at the situation in the
neighbouring country of Afghanistan. It was with great
sorrow that we learned of the tragic death of the former
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,
Mr. Burhanuddin Rabbani. He was one of the most
important figures in recent Afghan history and, indeed,
11 11-51390
in the region and the world as a whole. We would like
to express our heartfelt condolences to the people and
the Government of Afghanistan.
Tajikistan supports the international strategy for a
comprehensive peace settlement in Afghanistan and
post-conflict rehabilitation. We deem it important to
involve Afghanistan in regional integration through
economic and trade cooperation with neighbouring
countries. I should like to recall the efforts of the
Dushanbe quartet — Afghanistan, Pakistan, the
Russian Federation and Tajikistan — in favour of trade
and economic cooperation, the fight against terrorism
and the fight against drugs and organized crime.
We have opened five bridges on the border
between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and three
additional bridges are being built. This year we also
constructed a 220-kilovolt power line linking Tajikistan
and Afghanistan. We are seeking to address the issue of
energy shortages in Afghanistan and in Pakistan by
building up the hydro-electrical capacity of the Central
Asian countries through the CASA-1000 project.
The continued post-conflict economic development
of Afghanistan is on the agenda of the fifth Regional
Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, to
be held next spring in Dushanbe.
Global problems and regional challenges cannot
be addressed without a strengthened United Nations.
The process of reforming the United Nations must be
carried out in a rational manner, and the renewed
United Nations must become a strong partner that is
able to react to events across the world and rise to the
multiple global challenges that we face in this new age.
Tajikistan will continue to assist the United
Nations in every possible way in its efforts to build a
peaceful, secure and healthy planet.