Kyrgyzstan, 2001

Osmonakun IbraimovI

would like at the outset to join in all the

congratulations that have been extended to the

President on his election as President of the fifty-sixth

session of the General Assembly. I would like to assure

him that our delegation is ready to cooperate fully with

him and also to wish him, on behalf of the Kyrgyz

delegation, success in carrying out his duties.

Our delegation would also like to take this

opportunity to congratulate the Secretary-General,

Mr. Kofi Annan, on his re-election to a second term of

office and also on his winning the Nobel Peace Prize,

together with the United Nations, this year. We

consider that this award was well deserved.

The work of this session is taking place at an

extremely complex time for the international

community. Today, from this lofty rostrum, on behalf

of the people of Kyrgyzstan, I convey our deepest

condolences to the people and the Government of the

United States in connection with the tragic events of 11

September this year, which claimed many victims.

Terrorism has laid down an extremely dangerous

challenge to all of civilized humanity, democracy and

freedom. In this context, the efforts of the international

community aimed at combating terrorism, first and

foremost within the framework of the United Nations,

are fully supported by Kyrgyzstan, and our

Government is taking all necessary measures to

implement Security Council resolutions 1368 (2001)

and 1373 (2001). From the very outset, we have

supported and will continue to support the activities of

the United States and other countries within the anti-

terrorist coalition, and consider the military operations

to be inevitable and justified actions.

Our position of principle with respect to terrorism

stems from Kyrgyzstan’s position at the epicentre of

the struggle against international terrorism and against

the illegal trafficking in drugs and weapons, which are

a threat to the stability and security not only of the

Central Asian region but of the entire civilized world.

Our country has for three years been defending itself

against incursions by terrorist bands that have resulted

in the deaths of entirely innocent people. If it had not

been for our firm determination to take a stand against

terrorism and keep a firm lock on our borders, then

serious destabilization of the entire region would have

been inevitable. We do not wish to exaggerate our role,

but it is we who have prevented the terrorists from

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crossing our borders into other countries. I would also

like to note that Kyrgyzstan has also made its territory

available and the necessary transport vehicles for the

transit of international humanitarian assistance to

Afghanistan on the Osh-Ishkashim-Faizabad road.

A serious problem for us is that of refugees who

have come to the territory of our Republic from the

region of the conflict. Kyrgyzstan already hosts

approximately 2,000 Afghan refugees. Their numbers

could increase very rapidly. All of this is a very serious

problem, and finding a solution will require active

assistance from the relevant international

organizations.

Over the last few years we have all seen

Afghanistan become a sanctuary for various

international terrorist organizations. After the fall of

Kabul yesterday, the inter-Afghan conflict has entered

a completely new phase. Moreover, it is now more

urgent than ever to deal with the question of a mutually

acceptable solution to untie the Afghan knot.

Kyrgyzstan proceeds from a deep understanding of the

need for rapidly winding up the military confrontation

in Afghanistan, with the subsequent formation in that

long-suffering country of a broadly representative,

multi-ethnic Government, that, first and foremost,

meets the interests and aspirations of the Afghan

people.

In this connection, Kyrgyzstan welcomes

constructive ideas and proposals aimed at establishing

a long-awaited peace in Afghanistan. For our part, we

consistently express our readiness to cooperate with all

the countries involved in order to settle the Afghan

conflict. We consider that it is precisely the United

Nations, with its experience, capabilities and

institutional potential, that should play a key role in

bringing together the efforts of the international

community to combat terrorism. In this regard,

Kyrgyzstan proposes the creation of a special

committee of the United Nations to restore peace and

stability in Afghanistan, which could be a coordinating

body for all the practical measures to this end.

Today we would like to recall one of the well-

known initiatives of the President of Kyrgyzstan, Askar

Akayev, to hold a forum for dialogue on security

questions between the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of

the Islamic Conference. It seems to us that there is now

an urgent need for such a dialogue between these two

authoritative organizations. In this connection,

Kyrgyzstan took the very important initiative to hold

on 13-14 December of this year, under the aegis of the

OSCE in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, an

international conference on enhancing security and

stability in Central Asia and strengthening

comprehensive efforts to counter terrorism. We are

now making active preparations, together with the

secretariat of the OSCE, for this important measure. In

our view, the participation of the United Nations in that

event would facilitate a consolidated solution for

working out joint approaches to combating terrorism.

This would be an important step in strengthening the

international community’s capacity to avert the threat

to security in Central Asia, including by expanding the

assistance to countries in that region in the face of the

growing threat. It is encouraging to note that many

States, including participants in the anti-terrorist

coalition, are showing serious interest in the Bishkek

international conference to combat terrorism.

Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to

questions of sustainable development. In this regard,

my delegation greatly appreciates the decision of the

fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly to hold a

World Summit on Sustainable Development in

Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a pleasure to note that

Kyrgyzstan made a very significant contribution to the

preparation of the Rio + 10 summit on problems of

sustainable development, having organized, together

with the United Nations Secretariat, in Bishkek, a

regional round table. The results of the round table will

certainly be reflected in the key documents of the

World Summit in Johannesburg.

As we well know, the United Nations has

proclaimed next year the International Year of

Mountains. This is certainly a very important and

productive initiative on a global level. We, the

members of the delegation of Kyrgyz Republic, can

indeed be proud that one of the most important

initiatives of the International Year of Mountains was

taken by our President, Askar Akayev.

It is indeed true that the mountains of the world

are a symbol of the lofty ideals of humankind, but

mountains also pose related ecological, economic and

social problems for the people living in those areas.

High mountains should not cause these problems for

their inhabitants. I fully agree fully with Mrs. Benita

Ferrero-Waldner, the Foreign Minister of Austria, that

the International Year of Mountains should be a year

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for new initiatives for exchanging experience and

drafting new programmes of cooperation.

The acuity of the ecological problems of

mountainous areas and their connection to economic

problems led our specialists to examine international

experience in order to see how to restructure our debts

by seeking debt-relief in exchange for ecological

initiatives. We feel that this approach provides a unique

opportunity for financing national ecological and

environmental projects and economic investment

programmes. We should also like to express the hope

that at the upcoming International Conference on

Financing for Development in Mexico, sufficient

attention will be given to the specific problems of

mountainous countries.

We wish to take this opportunity to welcome the

decision of Member States to hold an official opening

ceremony for the International Year of Mountains in

New York in December of next year. We also note with

great satisfaction that in October 2002, the capital of

Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, will welcome representatives

from all over the world for the Bishkek Global

Mountain Summit. We are already preparing for this

very important event, which will take place during the

International Year of Mountains. We wish to express

our hope that the Secretary-General of the United

Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, will be able participate in the

Summit.

In conclusion, I should like to express our deep

conviction that the efforts of United Nations Member

States and the entire world community are aimed at

implementing the ideals and principles enshrined in the

Millennium Declaration and the United Nations

Charter, and that they will lead to the triumph of peace,

freedom and democracy.