DUSHANBE, 23.09.2020. (NIAT Khovar) – The fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, climate change, the economic consequences of the pandemic — these and other problems are facing Tajikistan today. This was stated in the speech of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon during the general political discussion at the 75th session of the General Assembly.

He said that Dushanbe is actively involved in UN peacekeeping activities and uses renewable energy sources, the UN News Service reports.

Pandemic and economy

Tajikistan has been largely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government, according to the country’s president, in close collaboration with the World Health Organization and other partners, has launched large-scale activities to prevent the spread of infection and provide assistance to those infected. The damage to the economy this year is estimated at $ 2 billion, but this amount, according to the president, is likely to continue to grow.

“Tajikistan is a mountainous country with no access to the sea, we do not have enough oil and gas,” said Emomali Rahmon. “One hundred percent of fuel needs are covered by imports, 80 percent of the rest of the goods and 90 percent of pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs are also imported from abroad.”

Security

Against the pandemic’s backdrop, the country faces other threats, in particular terrorism and drug trafficking. “Terrorists and extremists pose a great danger and destabilize the situation in a number of regions of the country,” the president said. According to him, it is extremely important for Tajikistan to interact in the fight against terrorism with international organizations, including the UN, which, according to Dushanbe, should play a key role in this process, as well as with the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Tajikistan supports UN peacekeeping operations

For its part, Tajikistan helps other countries in the framework of the UN peacekeeping activities. In particular, Tajik police officers serve as part of the UN peacekeeping contingent in Darfur, South Sudan, and in Abyei, Sudan.

Tajikistan is ready to share its experience in the field of combating terrorism, drug trafficking and peaceful resolution of conflicts. To this end, the country has nominated itself as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2028–2029.

Peace process in Afghanistan

The border length between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is almost 1,400 kilometers. “In this regard, we are carefully monitoring the military, political and socio-economic situation in Afghanistan,” the President of Tajikistan stressed.

According to him, there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, therefore Dushanbe welcomes the peace process that has begun in this country and supports efforts to overcome the political crisis. He recalled that Tajikistan took part in several regional projects to provide assistance to Afghanistan.

Climate change

Over the past six years, the average annual temperature in Tajikistan has increased by one degree. This, according to Emomali Rahmon, has led to increased rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events. Also, the Tajik President recalled that 93 percent of Tajikistan’s territory is covered with mountains, and natural disasters associated with water not only lead to casualties, but also cause damage to hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

“In recent years, the area of glaciers, which play an important role for the whole of Central Asia, has significantly decreased,” the Tajik leader said. Of the 13,000 mountain glaciers in Tajikistan, a 1,000 have already completely melted. But sixty percent of the water resources of Central Asia are located on the territory of our country”.

This year, he said, due to the reduction in precipitation, mountain rivers became shallow, which led to problems with irrigation and drought, as well as a shortage of drinking water. “The countries of the region are concerned about the change in the hydrological cycle,” the president said. “We call on international and regional organizations to provide support.”

Countries of the region are concerned about the changing hydrological cycle

For its part, Tajikistan is one of the countries that pollute the atmosphere the least: 99 percent of electricity needs are provided by hydroelectric power plants. The Tajik president called on other countries to expand their use of renewable energy sources and to support efforts to combat climate change. He also initiated the creation of an International Glacier Conservation Fund and recalled that his country is the autor of more water-related UN projects.