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Samarkand/Brussels, 15 November 2017 – The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Paolo Alli (Italy), welcomed the new spirit of cooperation emanating from Central Asia over the past year with a speech at a landmark conference on security and sustainable development in Samarkand from 10-11 November. Organized by the government of Uzbekistan under the auspices of the United Nations, the international conference caps a year of notable change in regional and global policy by Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Mirziyoyev.
Longstanding disagreements over borders and water resource management over the past decades had all but frozen Central Asia’s ability to move forward in the pursuit of common security and development goals. The recent change in tone from the government in Tashkent, however, has seen Uzbekistan work multilaterally to strengthen security cooperation, engage in unprecedented diplomatic outreach, and strive to find regional and global partners in its efforts to modernize its economy. These efforts are paying dividends for Uzbekistan and jumpstarting new regional initiatives: In the past year, Uzbekistan signed a deal with Tajikistan to restore air links, agreed to border demarcation and a significant hydropower deal with Kyrgyzstan, as well as a suite of other bi-lateral cooperative agreements with Kazakhstan.
In his address to the conference, President Alli signaled the potential to work with willing partners in the parliaments of Uzbekistan and across the region as they continue to press forward with much needed political, economic, and social reforms. “Our natural partners …are our parliamentary peers here in Uzbekistan and across the region,” he added. “Working together, I am certain all the great nations of this region can find a way to overcome their shared security, political, environmental, social, and economic challenges,” said Alli.
President Alli took advantage of his time in Samarkand to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov, and Speaker of the Oliy Majlis, Nurdinjon Ismoilov. Both the Foreign Minister and the Speaker of the Oliy Majlis noted their appreciation of the presence of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly leadership at the conference and stated a desire to work together to find a way to increase the level of cooperation between the Assembly and Uzbekistan.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth Programme has been a key instrument of past cooperation with central Asian governments. The Rose-Roth Programme works with both nations and regions to enhance parliamentary awareness, build regional contacts, and provide experience and expertise to countries seeking to implement difficult political and economic reforms. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has organised two Rose-Roth Seminars in central Asia - in 2009 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and in 2013 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – and has invited central Asian participants to a several seminars in other locations. To date, Kazakhstan is the only Central Asian republic which participates in Assembly activities as a Parliamentary Observer delegation.
The international conference on security and development in Central Asia gathered over 500 participants, including all the foreign ministers from Central Asian countries, as well as high ranking officials from Europe, Asia, and America.
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