DUSHANBE, 22.01.2018. /NIAT “Khovar”/. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirodjidin Aslov attended and addressed the United Nations Security Council debate entitled “Building regional partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia as a model to link security and development”, which was held under the Kazakhstan Presidency on January 19, 2018 in the United Nations Headquarters.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, the event was also attended and addressed by the UN Secretary-General, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, and Deputy Foreign Ministers of the United States, Afghanistan, Netherlands and other representatives of the UN member-states.

In his statement, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan underlined the pressing challenges faced by the region, among which are the deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, the growth of international terrorism, the rise of political and religious extremism, transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and exacerbation of environmental issues.

Minister Aslov noted that Tajikistan as an advocate of an early restoration of peace and security in Afghanistan through economic and social development believes that the regional cooperation is an important element for strengthening stability in this country and in the entire region. He also noted that to address those challenges effectively it is needed to take more robust actions by the countries of the region through facilitating the regional cooperation and partnership.

Minister Aslov called on the international community to provide grand assistance to the implementation of socio-economic projects in this country, in particular regional projects such as CASA-1000, TUTAP, etc., which provide an important basis for sustainable development in Afghanistan.