07.08.2021

Distinguished Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich!

Dear participants of the meeting!

 

I express my sincere gratitude to the distinguished President of Turkmenistan and the fraternal Turkmen people for the traditionally warm hospitality and excellent organization of the summit in beautiful Avaza.

I am glad to see my most esteemed colleagues in this hall.

I welcome the participation of the High Representative of the United Nations, Ms. Natalia Gherman, at the event.

Thanks to the common political commitment and joint efforts, today our region is becoming a space of good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and sustainable development.

The role of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia in the formation of a new political atmosphere cannot be overemphasized.

Our regular top-level meetings allow us to fully realize the unique potential of the region.

We consider the agenda proposed by our Turkmen friends to be relevant and important.

In turn, I would like to express the vision and proposals of Uzbekistan.

First, the current realities require us to take bold steps to form a new model of economic cooperation in Central Asia.

It is important to identify new growth points, new drivers of our development in the long term.

It is necessary to increase intraregional trade. In order to transfer to a full-fledged free-trade regime, it is important to eliminate existing barriers.

We can create long value chains by developing industrial cooperation, innovation and digital technologies.

For this, direct business contacts between entrepreneurs and regions of our countries should be encouraged; investment and economic forums and industrial exhibitions should be held regularly.

Taking into account the important initiatives and proposals in this area voiced by my esteemed colleagues, I believe that it is high time for the adoption of an Agreement on General Directions of Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Second, it is necessary to effectively use the transport and transit potential of the region in our common strategic interests.

We are deeply convinced that the extensive and integrated transport system of our countries is able to become a key transit hub on the Eurasian continent.

In this regard, we support the fullest possible loading of the existing transport corridors and infrastructure, including the ports of the Caspian Sea, large trans-border logistics centers.

In addition, we expect to use the potential of the Trans-Afghan corridor Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan road and railways.

We also consider it important to resume a full transport connection between our countries, in compliance with sanitary requirements.

Third, as has already been noted, the issues of energy security of the region are acquiring even more relevance, taking into account the growth of national economies and population.

In this regard, we deem it necessary to continue efforts to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in this area, paying special attention to the introduction of «green» energy and energy efficient technologies.

For this, we propose to intensify the activities of the Electricity Coordination Council of the Central Asian countries, expanding its mandate and powers, as well as increasing the level of representation of our countries.

Fourth, in the context of the pandemic, the problems of providing the population with food products have become aggravated. In some regions of the world, there is price increase and basic food shortage.

I support the initiative to hold regular meetings of the ministers of agriculture of our countries. We propose to include the issue of introducing a regional food security monitoring system in the agenda of their first meeting.

This will allow to determine specific areas and joint programs to increase food production and control their quality, including world market supplies.

Fifth, unfortunately, the pandemic is still causing severe damage to public health and negatively affecting the economy.

According to the forecasts of the World Health Organization, we will experience these consequences in the coming years. This requires close regional cooperation and mutual assistance.

To this end, I suggest to launch a unified information system for the recognition of test results and vaccination certificates, expand the exchange of experience in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, to train medical staff, establish scientific collaboration in pharmacology and cooperation in the production of vitally important medicines.

Sixth, the environmental problems of the region are always in the focus of our attention.

It is necessary to expand the scale of cooperation, to take all possible measures to mitigate the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis.

We also stand for the development of a regional program «Green Agenda» for Central Asia», which would contribute to the adaptation of our countries to climate changes, as well as the large-scale implementation of resource-saving technologies.

 

Esteemed Heads of delegations!

Speaking about the prospects of our constructive plans, we cannot ignore the Afghan factor.

The security and sustainable development of our entire region largely depends on a political settlement in neighboring Afghanistan.

We see the peace process as a complete ceasefire and non-violence, the achievement of mutually acceptable compromises based on negotiations.

In order to restore the destroyed economy of the country, we will promote the implementation of large transport, communication and energy projects.

We will continue to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to the friendly Afghan people.

 

Esteemed colleagues!

In recent years, we have made significant progress in consolidating regional cooperation in Central Asia.

This allows us to consider practical implementation of the tasks of a new order - the establishment of closer ties with other regions of the world.

The results of the International Conference on Regional Connectivity of Central and South Asia recently held in Tashkent clearly demonstrated the demand for such an approach.

I would like to take this opportunity and thank you once again for supporting our forum.

I am confident that by combined efforts we will ensure the adoption of a special resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening the connectivity between the two regions.

We count on the support and active participation of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in this regard.

 

Dear friends!

We all know that young people, who make up the majority of the population in the region, play an important role in the development of our countries.

Today, in the context of the struggle over winning hearts and minds of the young generation worldwide, we need to educate our youth in the spirit of patriotism and respect for national and universal values since the future of Central Asia depends on it.

To this end, we propose to hold a Central Asian Youth Forum in Uzbekistan next year, which will be a significant step towards the formation of a platform for consolidating trust and friendship between our countries.

The organization of such a dialogue will contribute to the preservation, augmentation and transmission of high moral values and the richest spiritual heritage of our peoples to the next generations.

Another important factor in strengthening the fraternal relations of our peoples is the development of cultural and humanitarian ties.

Today, the festivals, days of culture and cinema, as well as the joint publication of books on the cultural heritage of Central Asia, are becoming more and more popular.

We support the initiatives of our Turkmen friends – to organize a joint gala concert and a festival of national cuisine, a business forum and an industrial exhibition today.

It is good to turn such events into a good tradition.

Another effective factor that contributes to bringing our peoples together is intraregional tourism.

We suggest to instruct our governments to start the practical implementation of the joint program «One tour - the whole region» covering the entire spectrum of tourist destinations.

 

Distinguished participants of the meeting!

Today’s Summit is taking place on the eve of a significant event - the 30th anniversary of the Independence of our states, which brings it a distinct value.

These were challenging years for all of us.

The main conclusion is that only together, hand in hand, by supporting each other, can we achieve an effective solution to the problems we face, ensure the sustainable development of the region and increase the well-being of our peoples.

There is no alternative!

It is important to make the processes of regional cooperation stable and irreversible, to engage the resource of «people’s diplomacy», to involve parliaments and mass media.

We welcome the further development of the Women Caucus in Central Asia, extension of contacts to achieve global goals in gender equality.

Bearing in mind the growing role of parliamentarism, we also propose to hold a Regional Parliamentary Forum in Tashkent.

We consider it important to adopt a Joint Statement, which will consolidate our common position on key issues of cooperation at the end of the summit.

I am sure that the results of the Consultative meeting organized at a high level at the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan, distinguished Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov, will become a worthy contribution to the further strengthening of the multifaceted partnership of the fraternal peoples of Central Asia.

Thank you for your attention!

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