Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The proposal of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to develop and adopt a Plan for the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan as part of the practical implementation of the Roadmap for further actions of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group will serve to further consolidate efforts of the SCO countries in helping to achieve the long-awaited peace in Afghanistan.

The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev once again confirms the firm commitment of the Republic of Uzbekistan to achieve long-term and sustainable peace in the neighboring country, is a logical continuation of the consistent friendly policy towards Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan has always advocated for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to play an important role in resolving the situation in Afghanistan, convinced that the security and economic prosperity of the entire vast SCO region are inextricably linked with peace and stability in this long-suffering country.

Back in 2004, Uzbekistan, as the presidency of the SCO, invited former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to the Organization’s summit in Tashkent. Since then, not a single SCO summit has been held without the participation of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which in 2012 received the status of an observer state.

It is symbolic that the initiative to establish the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, formalized in November 2005 in Beijing, was announced precisely in Tashkent during the summit of the SCO heads of state in 2004.

The establishment of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group made it possible to establish a specific consultative dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the development of the current military-political situation in the neighboring country, its impact on regional security, assistance of the SCO member states to Afghanistan in ensuring peace, security and economic recovery, and expanding regional cooperation.

Most importantly, thanks to this format of interaction, the SCO member states effectively coordinate their interaction to contain the challenges and threats emanating from Afghanistan, and prevent their spread in the Organization’s space.

In addition, it is especially important that the regular dialogue within the Contact Group contributed to the development of a regional consensus in the SCO space on the basic principles for resolving the situation in Afghanistan, which, in turn, today plays a decisive role in the formation of common approaches of the international community with regard to peacebuilding in the Islamic Republic. Afghanistan.

This consensus in the SCO space found its consolidation in the "Road Map" of the "SCO-Afghanistan" Contact Group adopted in June 2019 in Bishkek, in which all SCO member states declared their commitment to the key principles of resolving the situation in Afghanistan - there is no alternative to resolving the conflict through political dialogue and the implementation of an inclusive peace process led by Afghans themselves; and the importance of rebuilding the Afghan economy for establishing peace and stability in this country, security and sustainable development of the region as a whole.

The Road Map became an important political document that also confirmed the readiness of the SCO member states to support the efforts of the government and people of Afghanistan in such areas as ensuring peace, security, cultural and humanitarian development and economic reconstruction of the country.

In this regard, the adoption of the Plan for the Social and Economic Reconstruction of Afghanistan will undoubtedly open a new page in the Afghan policy of the SCO and will make it possible to translate into a practical plane the implementation of the "Road Map" of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group.

First, joining efforts within the SCO to assist Afghanistan in restoring a peaceful economy through the implementation of social, economic and humanitarian programs and projects will contribute to the achievement of long-term and sustainable peace in this country, the creation of the necessary socio-economic basis for a peaceful solution to the Afghan crisis. Alternative sources of income for the population, the necessary incentives for the transition to a creative and peaceful life of the citizens of Afghanistan will be created.

Secondly, consolidated regional support to Afghanistan in economic development will become an important condition for maintaining the government’s ability to fulfill its social obligations to the population, meet the urgent needs of citizens for stability and security, ensure peaceful development in the post-conflict period. The creation of a viable Afghan economy will guarantee the continuation of transformations begun 19 years ago in the areas of ensuring the rule of law, protecting human rights, building democratic institutions, civil society and modernizing public administration.

Third, the implementation of joint projects within the SCO will serve both to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and to restore the role of this country as a key link in ensuring the interconnectedness of the Eurasian continent. This, in turn, will contribute to further strengthening the consensus in the SCO space on the need to achieve an early peace in Afghanistan. In addition, the effective implementation of the Afghanistan Social and Economic Reconstruction Plan can become an exemplary model of multilateral interaction, turning the Afghanistan into a platform for cooperation and opportunities.

Moreover, the initiative of Shavkat Mirziyoyev creates an opportunity to strengthen the important role of the SCO in the practical solution of the Afghan issue. Today, there are many different platforms and formats for resolving the situation and the economic recovery of Afghanistan, but their potential, for objective and subjective reasons, remains unused in full.

In this context, the SCO is a unique structure, where almost all countries that are interested in solving the Afghan problem are represented - these are the states of Central Asia, China, Russia, Pakistan, India (full members), Afghanistan (observer), Turkey (dialogue partner).

It should be noted that the potential of the SCO is sufficient to make a significant contribution to the restoration of the peaceful economy of Afghanistan, the achievement of long-term and sustainable peace in this country. At present, the aggregate share of the GDP of the SCO member states in the structure of world GDP is 22.5% (US$18.4 trillion). It is expected that in 2030 this figure may reach 40%. Moreover, in terms of foreign direct investment, the top twenty major investors include such SCO member states as China (2nd place, FDI volume - US$203.4 billion) and India (15th place, 41, US$2 billion).

Already today, the SCO countries are taking an active part in supporting the Afghan people in their quest for peace and prosperity. Thus, the SCO member states are among the main trade partners of Afghanistan, the volume of trade with which in 2019 amounted to 54% (US$6 billion) of the total Afghanistan trade turnover (US$11 billion) with foreign countries. If we take into account the trade of Afghanistan with the rest of the SCO members - Afghanistann (observer, US$2.5 billion) and Turkey (dialogue partner, US$150 million), the figure will be 82.7%. In turn, the SCO space is the main market for Afghan products. So, in 2019, the share of the Organization’s members in the total export of Afghan goods (US$728 million) was 94.5% (US$688 million).

It is especially noteworthy that the SCO member states provide significant assistance in ensuring the energy and food security of Afghanistan, covering more than 80% of the needs for electricity and more than 20% for food wheat and flour.

In general, the proposal of Uzbekistan on the adoption of the Plan for the socio-economic recovery of Afghanistan is fully consistent with its main tasks, which involve joint provision and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region, strengthening mutual trust and good-neighborliness between the participating countries, promoting their effective political cooperation, trade, economic and cultural areas. The SCO’s active participation in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan will strengthen its potential and raise the SCO’s status as a responsible multilateral structure that makes a significant contribution to ensuring regional and international security.

First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Nematov Akramjon