“Communication and trust have decreased to an unprecedented level” – Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivers a speech at CICA summit 

“Today we are witnessing an unprecedented lack of dialogue and trust, growing uncertainty in international relations. All this undermines the foundations of multilateral cooperation, provokes the escalation of conflicts, and leads to systemic failures in the global economy. New geopolitical realities have a negative impact on the stability of the entire Asian region. Crisis phenomena directly affect the states of Central Asia, hinder our efforts to deepen economic integration,” the head of state said.

The President emphasized that, with this in mind, in the interests of common security, development and prosperity, the parties need to focus on several priorities.

“First. The situation in Afghanistan requires special attention. Unfortunately, against the backdrop of other acute international problems, the issue of the Afghan settlement began to fade into the background. We must not allow a repetition of the sad experience of the past, when this country actually turned into an international terrorist hub. It is necessary to develop common, coordinated approaches to interaction with the interim government of Afghanistan,” he said.

In order to reach a broad consensus on the Afghan issue and take practical measures at the global level, the head of state proposed to consider the possibility of a joint appeal by Asian countries to the UN General Assembly with the initiative to form a high-level international negotiating group to prepare and agree with the Afghan authorities on an algorithm for the phased fulfillment of obligations sides.

“Second. We are increasingly confronted with a broad expansion of radical ideas. Using new methods of propaganda and ideological influence, destructive forces actively involve young people in extremist organizations. In this regard, we need to establish systemic cooperation in order to protect our youth from radicalism and direct their energy towards a creative path. Young people should believe in themselves, feel a sense of belonging to the formation of a just future, be able to realize their potential and hopes,” he said.

Mirziyoyev proposed launching a new format – the Dialogue of Generations, designed to promote better mutual understanding between people of different ages, a joint search for solutions to the most pressing problems of youth. The President said that Uzbekistan is ready to hold the first such meeting as part of the Youth Leaders Forum in Samarkand in April 2023.

The third key issue is the adaptation of national economies to the growing negative consequences of the global crisis. It’s important to:

- prevent the strengthening of protectionism, as well as the introduction of new restrictions that destabilize global markets;
- strengthen interconnectedness in the Asian region, primarily through the creation of production and logistics chains and transport corridors that effectively connect Central Asia with South and East Asia, as well as the Middle East.

Fourth. Overcoming the challenges of sustainable development will be the promotion of the knowledge economy as the basis for the transition to a new stage of the global industrial revolution.

“We consider it expedient to use the potential of innovation transfer more fully, to actively stimulate digitalization, the development of cloud technologies, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of things. In these areas, Asian countries have every opportunity to jointly achieve global leadership,” the President said.

Fifth. Most of the states of the continent are the main importers of food products and are acutely feeling the consequences of the food crisis. According to the World Food Organization, about half of the world’s population suffering from hunger lives in Asia. The paradox lies in the fact that at the same time the countries of this continent are also the world’s leading food producers.

According to the head of state, in this regard, new approaches are especially needed today in such areas as:

- formation of sustainable schemes for food production and optimal chains of its delivery; 
- harmonization of technical regulations for the growth of intra-regional trade;
- creation of an integral system for monitoring food security in Asia. 

Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to discuss these issues at an international conference under the auspices of FAO, which will be held in Uzbekistan next year.

“Sixth. To solve the problems of ecology and climate change, I propose to combine our efforts and launch regular expert consultations within the framework of the Green Asia conceptual program on the intensive greening of our countries and support for vulnerable ecosystems,” he said.

The President is convinced that it is possible to effectively overcome modern challenges only through dialogue, taking into account the interests of each other and observing the universally recognized norms of international law.

“That is why the main goal of the Samarkand Solidarity Initiative put forward by us in the name of common security and prosperity is to involve in a constructive dialogue all those who care about the future of mankind, who strive for peace, harmony and common prosperity. We support Kazakhstan’s intention to continue chairing the Conference until 2024 and wish success to our Kazakh partners. I am sure that by joint efforts, strengthening partnership and trust, we will be able to achieve noble goals – to ensure peace, stability and prosperity of our countries,” the head of state concluded.