Sixth Annual Meeting of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian states

27 Nov 2015

Sixth Annual Meeting of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian states

 
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan
 
The sixth annual Meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) with the support of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, took place on 27 November 2015, in Dushanbe.
 
The purpose of the event was to advance regional cooperation and discuss ways in which UNRCCA could further assist the countries of Central Asia in addressing threats to security and stability.

The participants discussed initiatives related to the fight against transnational criminality, the situation in Afghanistan, the management of water and energy resources, environmental security and outlined the main priorities for cooperation in 2016.

“The current situation in Central Asia more than ever requires a more effective and coordinated response by countries of the region. No country can cope with threats of a transnational nature on its own, in isolation from others. Bilateral and regional mechanisms of cooperation in this area and many others should be established or further empowered, to provide joint and more effective responses to these challenges,” said Petko Draganov, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA.

In his opening remarks, Sirojiddin Aslov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan stated: “We all want to see Central Asia politically stable and economically successful, capable of countering religious fundamentalism and political extremism, free from territorial disputes, ethnic and religious tensions. In this regard, it is crucial for all of us to have a deepened on these matters”.

The importance of securing enhanced regional security through dialogue, preventive diplomacy initiatives, and continued cooperation with the United Nations and regional organizations was confirmed.

Support was expressed for the efforts of the Regional Centre to create conditions conducive for achieving durable solutions to regional challenges, on the basis of mutual benefit of the Central Asian states and principles of international law.