Uzbekistan, 2007

Allow me, on behalf of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to

welcome the participants in the General Assembly at

its sixty-second session and wish this forum success in

its work.

I am not mistaken if I say that the world

community is looking forward to concrete results from

the realization of the development goals formulated in

the Millennium Declaration. A special role has been

assigned to the United Nations in achieving the

objectives set by the Declaration, including elaborating

fair and acceptable approaches to the issues of the

access to, and use and distribution of, natural

resources; maintaining environmental sustainability;

combating transnational threats; and establishing a

free, tolerant and stable developing world in the

context of globalization.

One of the most serious problems of the present

day is the reasonable use of natural resources and,

above all, water and energy resources. Various and

ambiguous approaches in this sphere hamper the

process of development and lead to conflict situations

and sometimes to ecological catastrophes. The fate of

the Aral Sea may serve as an example. The receding of

the Sea has tragic consequences not only for the

peoples of Central Asia but also for the larger

subregion and even all of Eurasia.

It is necessary to underscore that the major point

is the use of resources and watercourses of

transboundary rivers, which over the span of centuries

have met the vital needs of States and peoples living

along these rivers. The Republic of Uzbekistan

believes that all decisions on the use of the

watercourses of transboundary rivers, including the

construction of hydropower facilities, must in no way

inflict ecological damage or infringe upon the interests

of the population of countries in the neighbouring

territories.

The Convention on the Environmental Impact

Assessment in a Transboundary Context of February

1991, the Convention on the Protection and Use of

Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

of March 1992, and the Convention on the Law of the

Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses

of 1997 directly point to the reasonable use of

transboundary river resources. Those Conventions

require that transboundary waters be used in a

reasonable and equitable way, taking into particular

account their transboundary character, in the case of

activities that have or are likely to have a

transboundary impact.

In the case of the infliction of damage, all

measures must be taken to repair or mitigate such

damage, and, if necessary, the issue of compensation is

to be considered. It is underscored in United Nations

Conventions that the watercourse States shall cooperate

on the basis of sovereign equality, territorial integrity,

mutual benefit and good faith. According to those

fundamental requirements of the Conventions,

authoritative international experts must give guarantees

that the construction of hydrotechnical facilities will

not have irremediable ecological consequences and

will not throw off the established balance of the use of

watercourses of transboundary rivers by all States

located in the basin of those rivers.

We are convinced that those requirements must

be fulfilled in the implementation of various projects

building hydropower facilities in Central Asia with the

participation of both national and transnational

companies, so as not to allow for a catastrophic

deterioration of the ecological situation in the region.

We would like to remind investor countries who have

expressed a wish to participate in the implementation

of such projects of those conditions.

The current situation in Central Asia

demonstrates the interlinking of many contradictory

processes, which could negatively influence security

not only in our region, but also far beyond its limits.

Uzbekistan has consistently supported the effective

post-war recovery of Afghanistan. We strongly believe

that stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan should be

accomplished not through militarization, but through

demilitarization, the resolution of outstanding social

and economic problems and support to the country’s

population through the active participation and

assistance of the world community. Certainly, the most

important conditions for that are the reaching of a

consensus, the taking of coordinated measures by all

parties interested in stabilizing and reviving

Afghanistan and curbing the ever-present drug threat

that emanates from that country.

The matter of shaping and promoting an ideology

of tolerance, mutual understanding and cultural

diversity has taken on a special urgency in the context

of maintaining peace and security at the regional and

global levels. The Republic of Uzbekistan makes its

own contribution to the support of the dialogue among

cultures and civilizations, which must be maintained in

the framework of international law without strain or

pressure, without attempts to impose unacceptable

values and moral norms and by preserving respect for

peoples, thought processes which have been shaped

over many centuries and millennia. The correctness of

such an approach was particularly stressed during the

international conference on Uzbekistan’s contribution

to the development of Islamic civilization, held in

Uzbekistan in August 2007, and attended by prominent

scholars, theologians and government and public

figures from different parts of the world.

The designation by the Islamic Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization of Tashkent, the

capital of Uzbekistan, as a world capital of Islamic

culture represented the recognition of the role and

significance of Uzbekistan in Islamic civilization.

Uzbekistan has for centuries been a centre of

enlightened Islam, which seeks to strengthen in the

consciousness of people such eternal values as the

aspiration towards kindness and peace, tolerance in

inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations, and mutual

respect and accord among peoples, regardless of the

colour of their skin or their beliefs. That is why we are

seriously concerned about some negative

interpretations of the historical role of Islam and the

deliberate distortion of historical facts. We resolutely

oppose the transformation of counterterrorism into

Islamophobia and into an overt or covert stand-off with

the Islamic world.

In such circumstances, the role of the United

Nations is more important than ever before in

encouraging and promoting cultural diversity, tolerance

and mutual understanding among religions. In that

context, Uzbekistan welcomes the High-level Dialogue

on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and

Cooperation for Peace to be held on 4 and 5 October.

In conclusion, I wish to express the sincere hope

that the results of the work of the General Assembly at

its sixty-second session will promote the successful

realization of the joint efforts of Member States to

address challenges and threats to global security, as

well as the further peaceful development of the world’s

nations.