On November 10-11, 2017, international conference on ensuring safety and sustainable development in Central Asia under the auspices of the UN on “Central Asia: one past and a common future, cooperation for sustainable development and mutual prosperity” will be held in Samarkand.

The forum will become one of important practical steps on implementation of the initiatives forwarded by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, aimed at ensuring safety, socio-economic prosperity, and strengthening of regional cooperation in Central Asia. As it is known, transformation of Central Asia into a zone of stability, steady development and good-neighborliness is defined by the Head of our state as the main priority of foreign policy of Uzbekistan. 

Organizers of the conference are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia. 

According to the organizing committee, more than 500 people will take part in the international event, including foreign ministers of Central Asian countries, high-level official delegations from the CIS countries, Europe, Asia and America, heads of more than 10 international organizations, including the UN, EU, OSCE, SCO, CIS, EBRD, about 100 authoritative international experts and employees of leading foreign mass media, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Uzbekistan. 

In accordance with the program of the forum, speeches will be delivered by the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, the UN Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS at the United Nations Development Programme Cihan Sultanoglu, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, Chairman of the Executive Committee – the CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev, the SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov, heads of other international structures. 

Foreign ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the Kyrgyz Republic – Erlan Abdyldaev, the Republic of Tajikistan – Sirojiddin Aslov, Turkmenistan – Rashid Meredov, the Republic of Turkey – Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Islamic Republic of Iran – Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Salahuddin Rabbani, Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the US National Security Council Lisa Curtis and other officials of foreign countries will also deliver speeches. 

It is expected that conduction of Samarkand conference will provide an opportunity for its participants to exchange views on current issues of security and development of the region, to develop proposals on effective ways of their solution. The two-day forum will allow to discuss specific areas of enhancing cooperation between the Central Asian countries in political, trade-economic, investment, transport-communication, hydropower, environmental, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as the role of international organizations and partner countries in promoting implementation of the regional development projects and enhancing the potential of countries in countering modern challenges and threats.