Speech of the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Bolat Nurgaliev at the Special Conference on Afghanistan
| 2009-3-27 |
Thank you, dear Mr. Chairman,
Dear Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
Dear participants of the Conference,
Whilst joining the words of gratitude to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its initiative to hold the Special Conference and providing the good environment for fruitful work, I would like to note that the participation of delegations from the observer states – India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan, the regional organisations, which are the SCO partners, as well as from the invited states and international institutions, who have come to Moscow, is emphasising the importance and acuteness of the agenda of today’s Conference.
The convening of the Special Conference on Afghanistan under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with the aim of discussing issues of joint struggle against terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime is the fulfillment of the agreement by the heads of the SCO member states at Dushanbe summit, who underlined the need to jointly assess and respond to challenges and threats to the regional security and stability.
Effective measures are being taken in the framework of our Organisation to implement the Shanghai Convention on the Struggle against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which constitutes the basis for the activity of the SCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure. We have formulated the relevant Concept, which envisages effective fulfillment of a package of systemic and targeted counterterrorism activities.
The signing of the Tashkent Agreement on Cooperation in the Fight against Illegal Circulation of Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors reflects our grave concern over the threat posed by drug crime to the safe development in the SCO region and the health of population.
The Agreement laid legal foundations for interaction among our states on formulation of a single strategy and joint counternarcotics measures, coordination of the activities of government institutions and public organisations, as well as involvement of mass media. The SCO states agreed to express a united position at international forums and interact accordingly with competent international organisations with the aim to jointly counter the narcotic threat.
Optimum schemes for the functioning of the coordination and control mechanism are being drafted by the counternarcotics agencies of the member states. These issues will be the focus of attention during the upcoming meeting of the heads of the counternarcotics agencies of the SCO member states.
Proceeding from the mutual interest in taking effective measures to battle transnational organised crime, the SCO member states agreed to set up a mechanism of interaction among competent services, namely a meeting of internal affairs and public security ministers.
Dear participants of the Conference,
The SCO is working to produce a common systemic approach to countering the threats caused by instability in Afghanistan.
Cooperation with Afghanistan is conducted on the basis of the joint Protocol between the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the creation of SCO – Afghanistan Contact Group signed in 2005 in Beijing.
The Contact Group debates issues of assisting the protection of stability on the territory of Afghanistan, the measures on socio-economic rehabilitation, as well as joint response to terrorist and narcotic threats, which pose a serious danger to Afghanistan and all other states of the region alike.
In the framework of the international programme of providing aid to Afghanistan the SCO member states are making a concrete contribution by rendering economic and humanitarian assistance to the IRA on a bilateral basis, including construction of road infrastructure, communication lines, energy units, hospitals and schools. This has already been mentioned in the statements of the foreign ministers. The total amount of combined free aid provided by the SCO states to Afghanistan stands at around 220 million dollars, not to mention the decision announced today by the head of the PRC’s delegation to change the status of its earlier granted loan into free aid. A number of SCO states have written off quite considerable sums of Afghanistan’s overdue debts. Training courses are conducted for the personnel of the IRA’s government institutions and law enforcement agencies.
Just like other regional organisations, the SCO plays its part in supporting the work being carried out on the multilateral level by the UNO and other bodies, and contributes to the efforts being taken on the national level by every SCO member state.
Dear participants of the Conference,
The difference in assessments of the situation in Afghanistan seen from the statements of the participants is quite wide. Nonetheless, almost everyone acknowledges the fact that despite certain reinforcement of the capabilities of the central government, the gravity of the threat from the resurgent Talib militants and continuing instability in southeastern regions of the IRA remains on the rise. 98 % of opium poppy is harvested in 7 provinces of Afghanistan, where the positions of Talibs and organised criminal groups are quite strong, which shows cause and effect connection between the drug trafficking and never-ending conflict. The ability of drug dealers and their terrorist supporters to sell more than 600 cubic tons of pure heroin per annum is generating profits, which exceed the expenditure part of Afghanistan’s whole annual budget. If the IRA does not take the necessary efforts to resolve this situation with the support of the international community, first and foremost, of the states and international organisations represented at the Moscow Conference, Eurasian and European countries will be severely exposed to the expansion of heroin of the Afghan origin. It is vitally important that Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Central Asian states, Russia, China and India join forces with other countries involved to ensure the effective struggle against drug trafficking and money-laundering from this dirty business.
Effective settlement of existing problems can be possible only with due regard for the interests of all parties, through their involvement in the ongoing process, not through isolation. I am confident that this conclusion of the SCO states vis-à-vis general principles of maintaining international security is fair as regards the assessment of the potential role of Afghanistan’s neighbours.
The SCO member states are the immediate neighbours of Afghanistan. Historical, cultural, economic and political links between our countries and peoples are closely intertwined. The staging in Moscow of the Special Conference reaffirms the unconditional solidarity of the SCO states with the efforts of the international community to restore law and order in every part of Afghanistan, put this long-suffering country on the road to steady progress, ensure due regard for the state sovereignty of the IRA and the right of the Afghan people to choose their own way of development.
It is stability, not transformation imposed from outside, it is long-term and steady international aid, not interference aimed to achieve unilateral interests, which Afghanistan needs the most. Once all the states involved in the Afghan settlement adhere to such position, the current alarming situation in Afghanistan will surely change for the better. The mood of today’s debate, constructive proposals put forward by the participants as well as the spirit and essence of the final documents of the SCO Special Conference on Afghanistan have given us a reason for hope.
Thank you for your attention.
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