Uzbekistan, 2009

This session is being

held at a time of unprecedented efforts made by States

and international institutions to overcome the global

financial and economic crisis. Unfortunately, the

present state of regional and national anti-crisis

programmes and the huge cost of their implementation

do not yet guarantee the stabilization of the world

financial market, growth of demand and the revival of

economic activity in the industrial sphere.

In our opinion, effectively overcoming the global

crisis and mitigating its consequences largely depend

on the effectiveness and coordination of measures

taken within individual States and by the world

community as a whole — as well as, in particular, on

the development of new rules to regulate financial

markets that meet modern requirements, and on

ensuring stricter control over the efficient use of

enormous State and corporate financial assets by

transnational and national banking institutions in order

to avoid a new wave of inflation and economic bubbles

and a collapse in the commodities and stock markets.

I would like to say a few words about the

measures taken in Uzbekistan to mitigate and

neutralize the impact of the world financial and

economic crisis. Our own model of transition from a

centralized plan and ideological system to a free

market, which is based on five well-known principles,

has played a key role in those measures and in ensuring

stability during the 1990s as well as the balanced

development of Uzbekistan’s economy. Another

element of success is our 2009-2012 anti-crisis

programme, which is being carried out at this time.

Thanks to the measures taken, macroeconomic

stability, steady annual rates of economic growth

averaging 8 to 9 per cent, low rates of inflation, the

wide-scale attraction of foreign investments and an

increase in the real level of income of the population

have been ensured in the country in recent years. For

the first half of 2009 and continuing throughout, gross

domestic product growth amounted to 8.2 per cent.

From this high rostrum, I would like to speak

briefly about problems related to the growing threats to

environmental security. Those include not only the

threats arising from global warming, but also the

serious problems of possible technological accidents

and risks posed by gigantic hydropower installations in

the region, which could seriously undermine the fragile

ecological balance of Central Asia.

We speak of these problems while keeping in

mind the human-caused accidents at the world’s largest

hydropower stations and hydraulic installations caused

by their inadequate design and operation — for

example, the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya

hydropower station in Russia. We who live in Central

Asia are seriously concerned about similar large hydro-

installations operating today in watersheds of the

largest transboundary rivers — the Amu-Darya and the

Syr-Darya — and providing water to the populations of

all of the countries of the region.

The active manipulation of public opinion and

attempts to attract wide-scale investments to build the

two newest and largest hydropower stations — Rogun

on the Amu-Darya river and Kambarata on the

Syr-Darya river — are occurring today without taking

into account the fact that the glaciers on the Pamir and

Tian Shan mountains, which are the basic sources of

water for these rivers, are shrinking every year. In

addition, and of particular importance — even without

considering the possible tragic consequences of

potential technological accidents at these installations —

is the knowledge that these territories have seismic

ratings ranging from 9 to 10 on the Richter scale and

are more prone to strong earthquakes.

In this regard, Uzbekistan will continue to insist

that all planned construction of large hydropower

installations in Central Asia be implemented only after

impartial evaluation by international experts under the

auspices of the United Nations in order to avoid

possible catastrophic consequences. There is also an

urgent need to re-evaluate the existing large

hydropower stations on the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya

rivers that were constructed in the Soviet period.

The war in Afghanistan, where tensions are

currently growing, is one of the main sources of

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concern to the world community today and in

particular of security threats in Central Asia. This

problem and ways to resolve it are, without

exaggeration, the focus of attention of the world’s

largest Powers and the international community today.

It is no longer a secret that the Afghan problem, which

began 30 years ago, has no military solution. The

overwhelming majority of countries involved in

settling the conflict agree on this.

It is impossible to improve and radically change

the situation in the country without solving such urgent

issues as the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy,

communications and social infrastructure destroyed by

war; without involving the Afghan people in this

process; without a thoroughly considered and seriously

organized negotiation process and the achievement of

consensus between the conflicting parties; and without

strengthening the vertical power structure.

It is extremely important to pay full respect to the

deep historical and ethno-demographic roots of the

multinational people of Afghanistan, including the

traditional values of Islam and of all confessions,

which should be the main condition and guarantee of

the negotiating process.

The settlement of the Afghan problem could be

facilitated by the creation of the six plus three contact

group under the auspices of the United Nations, with

the participation of the plenipotentiary representatives

of the States neighbouring Afghanistan plus Russia, the

United States and NATO. The President of the

Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, has repeatedly

emphasized that the implementation of this initiative

involving neighbouring countries would allow the

achievement of an accord both in and around

Afghanistan.

The interdependence of regional and global

problems necessitates close cooperation between the

United Nations and such regional structures as the

Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In its capacity as

the current Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation

Organization, Uzbekistan intends to intensify

interaction between the United Nations and the

Shanghai Cooperation Organization by turning the

cooperation into a real partnership.

In our opinion, interaction between the United

Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

should develop in such priority areas as security and

stability and economic, social and humanitarian

development, as well as other spheres of mutual

interest. We believe that the effective combination of

the United Nations great experience and the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization’s potential will strengthen

regional and international security and promote

sustainable development in the countries of the region.

In this regard, we call upon Members of the United

Nations to support a draft resolution on cooperation

between the United Nations and the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization, to be considered during the

sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly.

In conclusion, I would like to confirm

Uzbekistan’s commitment to developing constructive

multilateral cooperation within the framework of the

United Nations for solving the most topical issues on

the international agenda.