Prague, 15 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The Forum for Conflict Prevention in Central Asia opened yesterday in Dushanbe with UN representative Vladimir Goryaev focusing delegates' attention on the agenda.
"As you know we brought to the agenda very delicate and extremely important issues," he said. "The issues related to coordination of international cooperation with the Central Asian governments in combating extremism, international terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime."
Yet two days seemed hardly enough to discuss such key issues among not only from the region's five governments, but also from Afghanistan, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), NATO, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Speaking yesterday, speakers highlighted their concern that security issues in Central Asia need to be addressed. Sirojiddin Komilov, the deputy director of Tajikistan's Institute for Strategic Studies, said cooperation among the region's countries was the key to resolving security problems.
"The creation of an effective mechanism of cooperation for the peoples of Central Asia is of vitally important significance. And the future of the region depends on this cooperation successfully becoming an organic part of the region itself," Komilov said.
All speakers agreed that a mechanism for greater cooperation was essential to security in the region. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Haidar Rizo said the problems under discussion had nearly destroyed his country.
"The one country that has suffered the most as a result of terrorism and extremism and drug trafficking is Afghanistan. Afghanistan was hit at the very base, destroying its lifeline, its infrastructure, economy, human resources and its identity and place among the international community," Rizo said.
Kazakhstan's ambassador to Tajikistan, Yerbol Shohimardonov, agreed that terrorism, narcotics, and organized crime were the biggest threats to security. But he said the vehicle for spreading these plagues was often illegal migration.
"Illegal immigration aids the spread of the narcotics business, the illegal transportation of weapons and other forms of organized crime. Unfortunately, the norms and national legislation of Central Asian governments are not harmonized to take needed steps against illegal immigration," Shohimardonov said.
Uzbekistan, meanwhile, has recently been criticized for its tactics in fighting terrorism that are perceived by many as excessive. But Uzbekistan's ambassador to Tajikistan, Shoqosim Shoislomov, said one of the main obstacles to between the region's countries and the international community was the latter's failure to fully understand the Central Asian region.
"[There are] several international organizations that do not always fully or deeply grasp the situation in the region. [They view] our history, traditions, our customs and our respect for our roots as being backwards, or [representing] a lack of desire to travel along the path of civilization and embrace democracy," Shoislomov said.
Some of the delegates, notably Turkmen First Deputy Foreign Minister Iklimberdy Paromov, used their speeches to tout their country's progress in eliminating the problems being discussed at the forum.
At the close of the forum today, Komilov, the director of Tajikistan’s Institute for Strategic Studies, proposed setting up a regional center for coordinating activities against terrorism. Afghan representative Muhammad Ibrohim Ghafuri agreed with the idea and made a suggestion of his own. "The countries-participants should prepare a list of terrorist and extremist organizations active in their countries," he said.
Ghafuri said such a list would help regional governments identify potential threats not only to themselves but neighboring states as well.