Uzbekistan, 2004

Allow me, first of all,

to congratulate you, Sir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of

Gabon, on your election as the President of the General

Assembly and to wish you every success in this

important position. I would also like to extend our

appreciation to Mr. Julian Hunte for the excellent

organization of the previous session.

The serious challenges to global stability and

sustainable development that the international

community faces vindicate the urgent need to further

develop the legal and institutional foundations of

multilateral cooperation. There is no doubt that the

central role in coordinating these efforts belongs to the

United Nations. It is important, today as never before,

to define the direction of the dynamic adaptation of the

United Nations to current realities, based on the

Organization’s unique experience of over half a

century, and to find adequate responses to the pressing

issues of the contemporary world.

Developments in the Central Asian region

provide a vivid demonstration of the intermingling of

the contradictory processes that are unfolding around

the globe. The aspirations of the peoples of Central

Asia to fully integrate into the world community, to

create conditions for sustainable stability and economic

development are facing serious challenges. The region

is faced with a combination of transnational threats,

namely terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.

Similar patterns can be observed in other regions of the

world as well.

Not a single day passes without terrorist acts

taking place somewhere in the world. It is obvious and

undeniable that international terrorism has challenged

the civilized world. It makes no exceptions and does

not distinguish between places, nationalities, religions

or social systems. It sows death and devastation in both

affluent and developing nations. We need to admit that

international terrorism, which is capable of quickly

transforming and adapting to the changing

circumstances of the contemporary world, is trying to

impose its terms and conditions and keep entire regions

in fear.

From the outset, Uzbekistan has firmly and

vigorously supported the efforts of the anti-terrorist

coalition aimed at eradicating transnational threats.

The political leadership of Uzbekistan is deeply

committed to the fight against this plague of the

twenty-first century and calls for a consolidation of the

international community’s efforts in this area.

However, effectively fighting international

terrorism requires, above all, combating its ideological

sources. It is vital to oppose the ideology of extremism

and fanaticism and to outlaw militant radical religious

groups that nurture international terrorism.

At the same time, Uzbekistan strongly opposes

any kind of allegations or assertions linking

international terrorism with the ever-growing religion

of Islam, which has made an immense contribution to

the history of humanity. Uzbekistan, home of the

greatest thinkers and philosophers of the East, is

adamantly pursuing an all-out support of traditional,

enlightened Islam. Only by promoting and encouraging

ideas of an enlightened and tolerant Islam can we

effectively withstand militant, politicized extremist

factions and avert further confrontations in the world.

Uzbekistan holds that, in reviewing the urgent

issues of global security, the regional agenda should be

given priority. Only by means of secure and stable

regions can we gradually move towards global security.

The establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in

Central Asia remains one of the priorities of our

foreign policy. We again call upon the permanent

members of the Security Council to develop — in

cooperation with the States of the region — a

consolidated position on the provisions of the treaty

and its protocol. We trust that the establishment of this

nuclear-weapons-free zone would become an important

element of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Many issues of regional development are directly

linked to the processes taking place in Afghanistan. We

believe that Afghanistan is historically and

geographically a part of Central Asia. Uzbekistan has

been giving all possible assistance to the Afghan

people for the social and economic reconstruction of

the country and its harmonious integration into

regional structures. The Government of Uzbekistan, in

cooperation with United Nations agencies, has set up

and is successfully implementing a delivery

mechanism for international humanitarian assistance to

Afghanistan via Uzbekistan. To date, over 2.5 million

tons of such cargo has passed through our territory. In

addition, we are doing all we can to reduce transit costs

and improve the service infrastructure.

In light of the continuous threat of narcotics

proliferation from Afghanistan, Central Asia, on the

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frontline of combating narco-aggression, is facing the

problem of effectively countering this global menace.

We look forward to the international community’s firm

and continuous support of Uzbekistan’s initiative to

establish a Central Asian regional information and

coordination centre to combat transborder crime related

to illegal drug trafficking.

The United Nations has been present in

Uzbekistan for over a decade. During this period, the

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has

carried out numerous important projects aimed at

strengthening the country’s potential in implementing

reforms, protecting the environment and creating

sustainable sources of income. We truly appreciate this.

In this regard, we look forward to assistance from

UNDP and other United Nations agencies in

implementing Uzbekistan’s initiative to establish a

Central Asian common market. This would contribute

not only to creating a large and robust regional market

and attracting more foreign investment and modern

technologies, but also to properly addressing the social

and environmental problems of Central Asia, including

its sustainable development and economic prosperity.

Overcoming the transportation and

communication isolation of the region is another top

priority. In that context, I would like to draw the

Assembly’s attention to the multilateral initiative to

establish a trans-Afghan transport corridor, which

would link Central Asia with the Persian Gulf. The

implementation of that project would significantly

expand trade and economic relations and

fundamentally improve the region’s economic

prospects.

We agree with the view of the Secretary-General,

Mr. Kofi Annan, that the present juncture is of crucial

importance for the United Nations. There is no other

multilateral forum similar to the United Nations, in

which countries that differ from one another in terms

of cultural and historical heritage, economic potential

and geographic location can work together as equal

partners.

In the context of the current, increasingly

complex globalization processes, the strengthening of

the Security Council is of paramount significance.

Uzbekistan supports the enlargement of the Security

Council in both categories of membership, taking into

account the political and economic capabilities of

countries, geographical representation and other

criteria. We reiterate our support for the inclusion of

Germany and Japan in the Security Council as

permanent members.

In conclusion, I should like once again to

underscore the fact that Uzbekistan is confident that

the United Nations will retain its role as the main pillar

of the international security and cooperation

architecture. We believe that the invaluable potential of

the United Nations, which withstood all the upheavals

of the previous century, will long serve the cause of

consolidating our efforts in the face of global

challenges.