30th Anniversary of Membership of Central Asian Countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in the United Nations

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

I am honored to join you today in commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the membership of Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, in the United Nations.

I take this opportunity to thank each of your countries and respective governments for the contributions to the United Nations and our multilateral system.

Many milestones have been achieved since your membership in 1992. From pursuing national development priorities, to strengthening regional stability, to economic prosperity, significant progress has been seen locally, nationally, regionally and at the global level.

This includes among others the establishment of a UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), where a Joint Plan of Action for Central Asia was formulated in 2011. It is the first regional framework designed to address the threat of terrorism through a common approach, based on the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

As Landlocked Developing Countries or LLDCs, your countries also face specific challenges to sustainable development, including connectivity and access to trade routes.

Yet, like the Five Rays of Hope under my Presidency, your narrative as five countries locked in solidarity and in common pursuit of peace and prosperity, inspires hope and spurs action.

An example of this is the biennial resolution on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization, where the Central Asian economies actively pursue strategies on trade liberalization to attract more Foreign Direct Investment and facilitate deeper regional economic integration.

My dear Friends,

Your renewed commitment to the UN membership will in no doubt contribute to the pursuit of the principles of the United Nations, to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda, to ensuring progress on the Paris Agreement, and to responding to, and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your regional experiences and best practices – both instructive and insightful – certainly add value to our collective goal of a more inclusive and sustainable future for us all.

Congratulations once again on the 30^th Anniversary of your UN Membership! Let’s continue to work for the success of multilateralism as nations united.