This session is being
held at a time of unprecedented efforts made by States
and international institutions to overcome the global
financial and economic crisis. Unfortunately, the
present state of regional and national anti-crisis
programmes and the huge cost of their implementation
do not yet guarantee the stabilization of the world
financial market, growth of demand and the revival of
economic activity in the industrial sphere.
In our opinion, effectively overcoming the global
crisis and mitigating its consequences largely depend
on the effectiveness and coordination of measures
taken within individual States and by the world
community as a whole — as well as, in particular, on
the development of new rules to regulate financial
markets that meet modern requirements, and on
ensuring stricter control over the efficient use of
enormous State and corporate financial assets by
transnational and national banking institutions in order
to avoid a new wave of inflation and economic bubbles
and a collapse in the commodities and stock markets.
I would like to say a few words about the
measures taken in Uzbekistan to mitigate and
neutralize the impact of the world financial and
economic crisis. Our own model of transition from a
centralized plan and ideological system to a free
market, which is based on five well-known principles,
has played a key role in those measures and in ensuring
stability during the 1990s as well as the balanced
development of Uzbekistan’s economy. Another
element of success is our 2009-2012 anti-crisis
programme, which is being carried out at this time.
Thanks to the measures taken, macroeconomic
stability, steady annual rates of economic growth
averaging 8 to 9 per cent, low rates of inflation, the
wide-scale attraction of foreign investments and an
increase in the real level of income of the population
have been ensured in the country in recent years. For
the first half of 2009 and continuing throughout, gross
domestic product growth amounted to 8.2 per cent.
From this high rostrum, I would like to speak
briefly about problems related to the growing threats to
environmental security. Those include not only the
threats arising from global warming, but also the
serious problems of possible technological accidents
and risks posed by gigantic hydropower installations in
the region, which could seriously undermine the fragile
ecological balance of Central Asia.
We speak of these problems while keeping in
mind the human-caused accidents at the world’s largest
hydropower stations and hydraulic installations caused
by their inadequate design and operation — for
example, the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya
hydropower station in Russia. We who live in Central
Asia are seriously concerned about similar large hydro-
installations operating today in watersheds of the
largest transboundary rivers — the Amu-Darya and the
Syr-Darya — and providing water to the populations of
all of the countries of the region.
The active manipulation of public opinion and
attempts to attract wide-scale investments to build the
two newest and largest hydropower stations — Rogun
on the Amu-Darya river and Kambarata on the
Syr-Darya river — are occurring today without taking
into account the fact that the glaciers on the Pamir and
Tian Shan mountains, which are the basic sources of
water for these rivers, are shrinking every year. In
addition, and of particular importance — even without
considering the possible tragic consequences of
potential technological accidents at these installations —
is the knowledge that these territories have seismic
ratings ranging from 9 to 10 on the Richter scale and
are more prone to strong earthquakes.
In this regard, Uzbekistan will continue to insist
that all planned construction of large hydropower
installations in Central Asia be implemented only after
impartial evaluation by international experts under the
auspices of the United Nations in order to avoid
possible catastrophic consequences. There is also an
urgent need to re-evaluate the existing large
hydropower stations on the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya
rivers that were constructed in the Soviet period.
The war in Afghanistan, where tensions are
currently growing, is one of the main sources of
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concern to the world community today and in
particular of security threats in Central Asia. This
problem and ways to resolve it are, without
exaggeration, the focus of attention of the world’s
largest Powers and the international community today.
It is no longer a secret that the Afghan problem, which
began 30 years ago, has no military solution. The
overwhelming majority of countries involved in
settling the conflict agree on this.
It is impossible to improve and radically change
the situation in the country without solving such urgent
issues as the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy,
communications and social infrastructure destroyed by
war; without involving the Afghan people in this
process; without a thoroughly considered and seriously
organized negotiation process and the achievement of
consensus between the conflicting parties; and without
strengthening the vertical power structure.
It is extremely important to pay full respect to the
deep historical and ethno-demographic roots of the
multinational people of Afghanistan, including the
traditional values of Islam and of all confessions,
which should be the main condition and guarantee of
the negotiating process.
The settlement of the Afghan problem could be
facilitated by the creation of the six plus three contact
group under the auspices of the United Nations, with
the participation of the plenipotentiary representatives
of the States neighbouring Afghanistan plus Russia, the
United States and NATO. The President of the
Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, has repeatedly
emphasized that the implementation of this initiative
involving neighbouring countries would allow the
achievement of an accord both in and around
Afghanistan.
The interdependence of regional and global
problems necessitates close cooperation between the
United Nations and such regional structures as the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In its capacity as
the current Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, Uzbekistan intends to intensify
interaction between the United Nations and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization by turning the
cooperation into a real partnership.
In our opinion, interaction between the United
Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
should develop in such priority areas as security and
stability and economic, social and humanitarian
development, as well as other spheres of mutual
interest. We believe that the effective combination of
the United Nations great experience and the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization’s potential will strengthen
regional and international security and promote
sustainable development in the countries of the region.
In this regard, we call upon Members of the United
Nations to support a draft resolution on cooperation
between the United Nations and the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, to be considered during the
sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly.
In conclusion, I would like to confirm
Uzbekistan’s commitment to developing constructive
multilateral cooperation within the framework of the
United Nations for solving the most topical issues on
the international agenda.