Kyrgyzstan, 1992

Allow me

to express my sincere congratulations to the President of the current General

Assembly on his election. I should also like to wish every success to the

Secretary-General in his work.

This session of the General Assembly is the first one for Kyrgyzstan, as

it is for other new United Nations Member States, and provides us with a

unique opportunity to introduce ourselves us to the world community and to

express our vision of future cooperation with the organization.

Kyrgyzstan emerged as an independent State at a turning point in world

history. The collapse of totalitarianism and profound geopolitical changes in

the territory of the former Soviet Union enabled my Republic to seize this

historic opportunity to establish itself as an independent State. Less than a

month ago, we celebrated the first anniversary of our independence.

From the very outset, we saw no other alternative in using the right of

independent choice we obtained than the establishment of a pluralistic

democracy as the only means of creating a decent life for the individual by

ensuring political, economic and spiritual freedoms.

The difficult process of creating a democratic legal State, strengthening

inter-ethnic harmony and social accord and building the basis for a market

economy is under way in Kyrgyzstan. Our criteria are the highest

international standards for ensuring human rights and freedoms, and we are

pursuing their implementation in all areas of political and legislative

activity. These standards are set forth in the draft of our new Constitution,

which our Parliament is soon to discuss. In the near future, Kyrgyzstan will

also adhere to major international agreements on human rights.

We appreciate the friendly view taken abroad of the democratic changes

under way in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan today is recognized by 107 countries the world over, and

diplomatic relations have been established with more than 50 of them. It has

become a member of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in

Europe (CSCE), the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other

international and regional institutions.

Kyrgyzstan is open to sound, mutually beneficial relations and ready for

partnership with those countries which share our ideals of freedom and

democracy.

We attach great importance to maintaining cooperation within the

Commonwealth of Independent States. The meeting of Heads of State of the

Commonwealth, which took place in Bishkek recently, might help strengthen

integration, but we recognize the different situations involved and the

various approaches taken to this integration.

On the international scene, Kyrgyzstan will act as peace-loving, neutral,

non-nuclear State. As such, our Republic is ready to sign the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to tackle other issues related to the

strengthening of strategic and military security.

Our meeting takes place at a crucial turning point for the United

Nations. The process of searching for the most adequate and appropriate

principles for the Organization, in keeping with the new, changing realities

of a post-confrontation world, is now under way.

Distortions caused by totalitarianism in the sphere of interstate and

interethnic relations have led to emergence of crisis zones in the vast area

stretching from the former Yugoslavia to Central Asia.

We support the ideas put forward in the report of the Secretary-General,

"An Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277), aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of

preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping. We believe that in order

to prevent and settle conflicts, it is necessary to apply within the framework

of international law all existing mechanisms of the United Nations and the

CSCE. The main thing is the timeliness and adequacy of the steps undertaken.

Preventive diplomacy and timely reaction should be given top priority in all

peace-keeping efforts.

We are especially concerned over maintaining stability in Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan advocates constructive steps and a regional orientation for

maintaining peace and stability in the region.

In this connection, we were greatly interested by a proposal for

organizing a forum on interaction and confidence in Asia similar to the

all-European process put forward yesterday by the President of Kazakhstan,

Nursultan Mazarbayev, in his speech to the General Assembly.

This forum, as we see it, could help to adapt to Asian realities the vast

experience accumulated by world and European organizations in

confidence-building measures and mechanisms for collective security.

Kyrgyzstan is now passing through a harsh economic crisis, the reasons

for which are evident and well-known. The situation has been aggravated by

natural disasters. On two occasions this year an earthquake and a flood have

led to the loss of human lives and caused enormous material damage.

Obviously, it would be difficult for us to overcome all the problems of the

transitional period by ourselves.

It is therefore difficult to overestimate the importance of the economic,

financial, technical and humanitarian assistance provided us by the world

community. The cooperation of the United Nations and its specialized agencies

with a large group of countries that became full-fledged members only recently

is especially valuable both from the standpoint of solving their problems and

with respect to reforms under way in the Organization. In general terms, this

relates to the effectiveness of the United Nations and of its system.

We appreciate the activities of the United Nations specialized agencies,

which, through an adequate assessment of our status and situation, are active

in setting up programmes in our country. The upcoming opening in Bishkek of a

United Nations representative office will promote the speedy integration of

Kyrgyzstan into international economic, technical, scientific and humanitarian

cooperation.

Our Republic became a United Nations member at a time of renewal and

reforms. We are in favour of practical steps aimed at enhancing the

effectiveness of this Organization as the key factor in establishing a new

world order.

I take this opportunity to confirm that Kyrgyzstan will adhere strictly

to the provisions of the Charter and will make its contribution to the

activities of the Organization.