Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Islam Karimov at the delegation-level meeting of Council of heads of the SCO member-states

Dear heads of states!
Distinguished participants of the meeting!

Allow me to greet the heads of the SCO member-states and express the feeling of gratitude to the Tajik side for hospitality and good organization of meeting of Council of heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

I would also like to greet the heads of delegations of observer-countries present here - India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan, as well as the guests and representatives of international organizations invited to the summit.

Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to sincerely congratulate the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao, the Chinese government and Chinese people on the wonderful organization and successful holding of the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing. The excellent achievements of the Chinese Olympic team, without any exaggeration, deserve the highest assessments and are a concrete demonstration of the summits that China has achieved in the leading spheres and directions of world sports.

For over the past period the Shanghai Cooperation Organization accomplished a rather big work to further strengthen potential and institutional bases of SCO, ensure security and sustainable development of member-states, as well as the growth of authority, political weight and influence of SCO on the international arena.

An important contribution to the resolution of urgent issues, as well as achievement of the mentioned fundamental objectives before the SCO must be the holding of this Summit in the city of Dushanbe, discussion and adoption of documents prepared for signing.

Dear participants of the Summit!

Taking this opportunity, I would like to briefly dwell upon only particular, to our mind, the principle issues and proposals.

It is an open secret that how it is noted in the SCO Charter and policy documents, the main priority directions of the SCO activity have been defined the issues of providing for security, as well as cooperation in economic and humanitarian spheres.

Certainly, especially for over the last years much was accomplished in the sphere of economic development and cooperation; the banking union and business council of SCO member-countries have been established; the investment projects and programs are being implemented.

However, it should be admitted that along with other directions of cooperation it is still yet obviously not enough attention is being paid to the issues of exploiting the immense economic potential of the SCO member-countries, implementing large-scale projects, and particularly, the projects that provide for a reliable transport and communication ties, establishment of modern centers of logistics, trade and tourism, construction of new enterprises, as well as introducing innovative technologies and developing the social infrastructure.

The scales of mutual investments are not impressive which are mainly directed at exploration, extraction and realization of hydrocarbon raw and other natural resources.

Insufficiently exploited are the capabilities of such largest financial centers that want to actively cooperate with us on the regional basis as the World Bank, Asian and Islamic development banks, the powerful financial institutions of Arab world.

In this respect, I believe it necessary to note that at the moment in the SCO framework obviously are less enough used and being drawn the enormous resources and markets of the SCO observer-countries - India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia.

It should be said that the opportunities in this field are opening up truly huge for all of our countries.

We should not forget that firstly providing for onward and sustainable social and economic progress, resolution of issues of population’s employment and growth of its living standards are the most important source for strengthening domestic stability and security of each of our countries and the region, as a whole.

Second issue which I would like to concentrate your attention on - these are the growing threats to security and stability in the region due to ongoing aggravation and escalation of confrontation in Afghanistan, progressing radicalization of situation and activization of militants on the territories bordering on Pakistan. Despite the enormous efforts of leadership and government of Afghanistan and the measures being undertaken on the part of international coalition forces to support peace in Afghanistan the state of affairs in the country, unfortunately, is not improving.

Yet more worsens the situation the growing volume of drug trafficking from Afghanistan where today the production of opium accounts for more than 8 thousand tons, or over 90 percent of its world production.

It cannot but be taken into consideration that drug trafficking today becomes one of the important sources of financing militants, destabilizing the situation in Afghanistan itself and states neighboring on it.

The dynamics of development of situation in Afghanistan with ever bigger obviousness witnesses that the problem of Afghanistan cannot be resolved only by way of using the armed forces, military means and growth of militarization.

The war which has already been ongoing for 30 years destroyed both economic and social infrastructure, led to impoverishment of population, and this should be admitted, deprives people of any belief to their perspective and nurtures a feeding ground for recruiting the new militants.

The unfolding situation dictates the need to radically reconsider the approaches towards resolution of the Afghan problem.

To our firm belief, the main priority must become rendering of purposeful economic aid to Afghanistan, construction and establishment of economic and social infrastructure, ensuring population’s employment, and resolution of acute problems of combating poverty.

It is necessary to provide for a respectful attitude towards national and religious values, centuries-old traditions and customs of multinational and multi-confessional people of Afghanistan, and achieve on that basis the consolidation of confronting forces in Afghanistan.

An important instrument in achieving such goals can be the return to the so-called 6+2 Contact Group on Afghanistan that successfully functioned in the middle of 90s under auspices of UN, having transformed it to a 6+3 Group by also including to its make-up, taking into consideration contemporary realities, the NATO along with neighboring states, Russia and the U.S.

In our opinion, adoption of such initiative which has already been enunciated from international rostrums will be a worthy alternative to achieve peace, stability and revival of Afghanistan.

Thank you.