DUSHANBE, November 23, 2015, Asia-Plus – The sixth annual Meeting Central Asian Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs is expected to take place in Dushanbe on November 27.
The meeting is organized by the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan.
We will recall that the previous fifth annual meeting of Central Asian deputy foreign ministers took place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on November 28, 2014.
The purpose of the event was to discuss ways in which UNRCCA could assist the countries of Central Asia in addressing more effectively existing and emerging threats to stability and security in the region. Views on current security developments in Central Asia were exchanged, and participants also discussed the potential impact on countries in the region of the drawdown of international combat forces in Afghanistan. In the course of the meeting, the Center’s past and future activities were discussed, and participants had the opportunity to provide their comments to UNRCCA’s new Program of Action for the period 2015-17. Participants stressed the need for joint responses to the manifold common challenges of the region. The importance of working together, bilaterally and multilaterally, towards increased regional security through preventive diplomacy initiatives and continued cooperation with the United Nations and regional organizations was confirmed. Appreciation and support were expressed in relation to the efforts of the Regional Center to create conditions conducive for achieving durable solutions to regional challenges, taking into account interests and needs of all Central Asian countries.
The United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia was inaugurated in December 2007 to help the region’s countries respond more proactively to cross-border challenges and threats before they can become costlier and more difficult to control.
The Center is tasked with assisting the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in building capacities to peacefully prevent conflict, in facilitating dialogue, and in catalyzing international support behind projects and initiatives.
