Tajikistan, 1996

Allow me first to congratulate Mr. Razali Ismail

on his election to the post of President of the General

Assembly at its fifty-first session. We consider this to

constitute recognition by the community of nations of the

growing role being played by Malaysia on the world

political and economic scenes.

The Republic of Tajikistan’s accession to full United

Nations membership five years ago marked a new page

in the history of my country’s relations with the

Organization. Five years is, of course, a short period in

history, but for our country they have been crucial. For

the Tajik people, whose history over the past millennium

has been full of tragic events, they were fraught with

serious ordeals. These years saw both our breakthrough to

sovereignty and one of the most tragic periods of our

modern history: the civil war. Indeed, the question was

whether one of the newest Member States was to continue

to exist on the world map.

The people of Tajikistan answered this question

themselves, but the historical cost of the survival of the

young State, which became the object of massive

aggression from united extremist forces, including attacks

carried out from the southern borders of the

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), was very

high.

It is already clear today that the conflict imposed on

the Tajik people — an enormous human tragedy — was

aimed at undermining the newly emerging foundations of

the State and interfering with economic growth and

market reforms and hence the country’s independent

development along a general democratic course. The scale

of the conflict and the degree of involvement of forces

from the territory of a neighbouring State posed a threat

to peace and security on the Asian continent as a whole.

Fortunately, in its difficult struggle for political survival,

Tajikistan was not left to fend for itself. The CIS

States — primarily Russia and the central Asian

countries, as well as the United Nations and the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,

supported the Republic and continue to do so.

23

Today, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan

is concentrating its efforts on tasks whose successful

accomplishment will make it possible to reconstruct the

social and economic infrastructure of the southern part of

the Republic, which was devastated by the civil war; to

reintegrate the disrupted regional sectors of the national

economy on a new basis; and to convert the distorted

centralized national economy that we inherited into a

modern market economy.

These tasks, difficult enough in their own right, are all

the more complex because of a chronic shortage of our own

financial resources. Thanks to the donor States, the United

Nations specialized agencies and other international and

regional organizations, Tajikistan continues to receive

humanitarian support. The overall volume of the assistance

received, however, is insufficient, while the economic

situation inside the country continues to be very

complicated.

We note with satisfaction that, given these

circumstances, authoritative international financial

institutions have been understanding about our growing

needs. As a result, the Government of Tajikistan, supported

by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, is

making deliberate efforts to intensify the reforms, create a

market economy in the country and integrate the national

economy into the world trade and economic system.

A solid basis for progressive and sustainable

development is being created in the country step by step.

That is why the Government of Tajikistan is particularly

interested in the adoption by the General Assembly at this

session of decisions dealing with assistance to countries

with transitional economies, taking into account the relevant

provisions of the Agenda for Development. We also hope

that the decisions of the most recent special session of the

Commission for Social Development will be fully

implemented.

As the Assembly may know, the Commission

emphasized once again the necessity for United Nations

financial organizations to mobilize resources in support of

the national efforts of the developing countries to

implement the Copenhagen Declaration on Social

Development and the Programme of Action of the World

Summit for Social Development. This important Declaration

acquires special significance on the eve of the first United

Nations Decade for the Eradication Poverty (1997-2006).

The stabilization of Tajikistan’s economy is not only

the key to satisfying the pressing social and economic needs

of our people, but would without a doubt promote the

process of national conciliation, social consolidation, and

the strong and healthy formation of democratic

institutions in the country as a whole.

As a post-socialist State at the very beginning of its

democratic rejuvenation, the Republic of Tajikistan values

highly the international experience it has accumulated

within the United Nations. Such experience helps

Governments to develop and strengthen new democracies.

Drawing upon this rich international experience, my

Government is purposefully taking important

constitutional steps towards creating an open society.

Firmly and consistently committed to the course of

democratic development pursued by the President of the

Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Emomali Rakhmonov, the

Government of my country promotes the involvement of

the broad mass of the population in social, political and

economic reform processes through such mechanisms as

referendums, national elections to representative bodies,

renovation of the judicial system and every possible

encouragement of openness.

An important practical step towards the further

democratization of society was taken with the adoption of

the treaty on national reconciliation in Tajikistan, initiated

by the President and social organizations of the country.

This treaty was signed by the leaders of the absolute

majority of political parties, public movements, national

associations and religious communities. We consider it to

be a universal, basic document of national reconciliation

that defines viewpoints for the formation of a State

providing for the equal and full participation of all

political and regional forces in national public life.

The people of Tajikistan made a deliberate choice in

favour of democratic reforms and they are not going to

give them up voluntarily. However, the course is full of

obstacles, which my Government is resolved to overcome

in the interests of achieving the main goal: the formation

of a civil society.

One of the main problems hampering our building of

a new society is an undeclared small war in the far south-

east of Tajikistan and on the Tajik-Afghan border, which

has been imposed on the Tajik people by the opposition

Islamic Revival Movement of Tajikistan. The intransigent

armed wing of the opposition is increasing tensions in the

country by torpedoing the agreements reached at the inter-

Tajik talks. By constantly and flagrantly violating the

Tajik-Afghan sector of the southern border of the

Commonwealth of Independent States, it is inflicting pain

24

and suffering on the civil population and causing irreparable

damage to the unique wildlife of the Pamir region.

The leadership of Tajikistan believes that the road to

peace in the country lies through the continuation of

dialogue and the resolution of existing differences through

constitutional legitimacy and only by political means. The

Republic of Tajikistan sincerely appreciates the active

humanitarian mediation of the United Nations, which is

searching for ways to resolve the conflict peacefully. My

Government greatly values the personal contribution made

by the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, his

Special Representative, Mr. Gerd Merrem, and the United

Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan to the settlement

of the conflict.

We greatly appreciate the significant contribution

made to the peace process by other international

organizations, as well as by the States attending the talks as

observers.

In particular I would like to note the constructive role

played by the Russian Federation. It has given us

significant and considerable assistance in protecting

Tajikistan’s border and ensuring security in general. We see

this assistance as a strategic measure aimed at preventing

the southern border of the Tajik part of the CIS from being

violated. This task is being carried out by a group of

Russian border patrol troops in Tajikistan, comprised for

the most part of Tajik youths, and the collective

peacekeeping forces with the participation of Uzbekistan,

Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan.

It is appropriate to recall that the leadership of

Tajikistan and the States whose military contingents are part

of the collective peacekeeping forces of the CIS have

repeatedly asked that these forces be granted the status of

United Nations peacekeeping operation. I do not think this

request is any less urgent today.

We are well aware of the fact that the only

prerequisite for effective dialogue is the moral willingness

of the opposing sides to reach a possible compromise. The

Government of Tajikistan has repeatedly demonstrated its

good will by trying to meet the other side half-way and to

breathe new life into the negotiating process whenever

necessary. We will not tire of walking this, the only road to

peace. At the same time, we consider the demands made by

the opposition for an equal division of power and,

particularly, the dismantling of existing State bodies as a

condition for national reconciliation to be unrealistic and

designed deliberately to lead to deadlock.

The Government of Tajikistan is fully determined

logically to finish what it has started and to find a

mutually acceptable formula for peace in the country.

And if the opposition takes a similarly constructive stance

and strictly adheres to the Tehran ceasefire agreement,

then there is hope that the Ashgabat agreements will lead

to real political results and bring the long-awaited peace

to Tajik soil. A striking illustration of this is the

agreement reached on 16 September this year between the

Government Commission and the opposition’s field

commanders that brought peace, fragile though it may be,

to this long-suffering land.

The efforts of my Government to achieve peace

would be even more fruitful were it not for the remaining

tensions in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the situation

is a humanitarian tragedy of a truly global scale. We

would welcome efforts by United Nations Member States

to find new ways to settle the conflict in Afghanistan. It

is not only our geographical neighbour but also a country

linked to Tajikistan by centuries-old historical and

spiritual ties. While expressing grave concern at the latest

developments in neighbouring Afghanistan, we support

the steps taken by the Security Council and the General

Assembly aimed at promoting a peaceful resolution of the

Afghan conflict.

The Republic of Tajikistan, for its part, is ready to

join forces with other members of the international

community and contribute to this constructive process,

which may have a positive influence and help stabilize

the situation along the Tajik-Afghan border.

From this high rostrum, I cannot but express my

gratitude to the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its constructive

and fruitful participation in solving a humanitarian

problem: that of our refugees who have found themselves

in Afghanistan as a result of the civil war. The three-year

UNHCR operation in Tajikistan has ended with success.

During this comparatively short period of time, with

UNHCR assistance in finding a comprehensive solution

to this issue, most Tajik refugees have returned to their

homeland. With the support of UNHCR, the Government

of Tajikistan renovated about 18,000 houses for the

returned refugees. Programmes are being implemented, in

cooperation with the United Nations Development

Programme, to encourage the development of small

enterprises, promoting social and economic conditions that

can help repatriates gradually to adapt.

25

The United Nations Children’s Fund and the World

Health Organization have made great and invaluable

contributions to health care and disease prevention for

women and children in Tajikistan.

At the same time, we cannot but be concerned for the

several thousand Tajik refugees still in Afghanistan. Their

return to the homeland is being prevented by the armed

opposition, which is linking their return to the resolution of

political issues not directly related to this purely

humanitarian act. We hope that, with the international

community’s assistance and the support of the States

concerned, a rapid and definitive solution can be found to

this major problem.

In this regard, I wish to express our support for the

decisions of the Conference on Refugees, Returnees,

Displaced Persons and Related Migratory Movements in the

Commonwealth of Independent States and Relevant

Neighbouring States held in Geneva in late May this year.

It is very important that the decisions taken at this session

of the General Assembly support the programme of action

adopted at the Geneva conference.

We are also concerned at the fact that military training

bases of fighters belonging to the armed Tajik opposition

continue to operate, without hindrance, on the territory of

the Islamic State of Afghanistan, itself a country that has

been plagued by civil war for almost two decades.

This is where provocative cross-border sorties are

carefully planned and new victims of terror and violence,

including among the civilian population, are determined.

Nor is it merely armed fighters that cross the Tajik-Afghan

border. Beyond Pyandzh, drug manufacturing is out of

control and drug trafficking and the sales of drugs to other

countries, even to other continents, are consistently on the

rise.

Criminal elements and groups from certain regions in

Afghanistan illegally circulate arms, thus undermining

Tajikistan’s State security. It is well known that terrorists

of every stripe have always fed off the drug trade and

illegal arms sales. We, like other States, are particularly

alarmed at the close relationship between some terrorist

organizations and the illegal drug trade.

Drug addiction has long been one of the most terrible

social scourges on Earth. In Tajikistan, which has become

one of the world’s “hot spots” in terms of the distribution

of drugs coming from outside the country, we understand

only too well the danger posed by drug abuse and illegal

trafficking to people’s lives, health, dignity and economic

prosperity, as well as to the political stability of a State.

The consequences of these criminal acts can be felt

not just in Tajikistan or the CIS, but far beyond the

Commonwealth borders. All this poses a real threat to

peace and stability throughout the Central and South

Asian region, including Afghanistan.

The Government of Tajikistan expresses its grave

concern at terrorist activity around the world. We need a

united front to curb the destructive wave of terror and

drastically intensify the common struggle to prevent

terrorism from emerging in any form. It is particularly

necessary to create a reliable barrier against terrorists’

attempts to gain access to weapons of mass destruction.

While unconditionally condemning all manifestations

of terrorism, the Government of Tajikistan feels that the

time has come to turn anti-terrorist cooperation under the

auspices of the United Nations to practical action. In this

regard, we must make full use of the resources of

regional organizations.

During the half a century of its existence, the United

Nations has proved its viability; at the same time,

however, it has reached the threshold of certain

indispensable changes in its structure and activities. We

feel that, in today’s unstable and transitional international

conditions, the role of the United Nations should steadily

grow.

In our opinion, it is important to approach reform in

a pragmatic way, concentrate on those issues that are ripe

for resolution and maintain a reasonable balance between

innovation and those mechanisms that have proved their

efficiency. The most important thing is to enhance

coordination within the framework of the United Nations;

to focus efforts on such priorities as peacemaking,

humanitarian crises, human rights, sustainable

development and support to States with transitional

economies; and to monitor strictly the use of limited

available resources.

The Government of Tajikistan feels that the integral

element in comprehensive United Nations reform is the

question of the further enhancement of the role of the

Security Council as the most important instrument for

maintaining and strengthening international peace and

security. It is also our opinion that the expansion and

renewal of the Council must be carried out in keeping

26

with Charter criteria for Council membership and the

current status of its permanent members.

We think that the Security Council would be made

more representative by adding not only some candidates

from among the industrial Powers, such as Germany and

Japan, but also some representatives from Asian, African

and Latin American countries. In this connection, the

proposal made by the delegation of Italy is of great interest.

In the autumn of 1995, when leaving United Nations

Headquarters in New York, the leaders of the community

of States once again affirmed the determination of their

Governments to fight for the realization of our common

ideals of peace and development, justice and sovereign

equality and respect for human rights and basic freedoms,

including the right to development. At that time, we

adopted a historic Declaration as a commitment to the

present and future generations of the Earth to exert our

joint efforts to prevent a resurgence of both cold and hot

wars and large-scale and small-scale conflicts in our

global world.

This is why we all have a great deal of creative

work ahead of us — for the sake of all mankind and for

the benefit of the future of our planet Earth.