In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Your Excellency Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies Heads of states,

Ladies and Gentlemen!

First of all, I would like to thank H.E. President Ilham Alyev and the people of the brotherly nation Azerbaijan for the very warm and generous hospitality extended to us during this summit.  Also, I thank the Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and his colleagues for organizing this summit and for their efforts to strengthen cooperation among ECO member states.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Our world is moving towards greater proximity and cooperation. Globalization is strengthening economic, political and cultural relations among people across different parts of the world.  In my opinion, a globalized world will consist of united regions that have geographical, cultural and economic commonalities.

ECO member states are linked by deep historical and cultural ties.  We have enjoyed strong links and relations among member countries throughout history; together we have inherited a great culture and civilization from our shared past. Today’s political, economic and geopolitical conditions present unprecedented opportunities to further expand our relations and strengthen cooperation between our countries.

The region to which ECO member state belong is among the world’s richest strategic energy reserves.  This is an opportunity for our people, and our growing young populations, to develop the intact natural reserves available in our region. However, our relations and cooperation in the fields of economy and culture and the interaction between us have not grown to the optimum levels.

We in Afghanistan recognize our obligations towards the region, and our foreign policy with regards to the region reflects our desire for peaceful co-existence and dynamic cooperation consistent with our national interests and the interests of the countries of the region. Building and strengthening relations with countries of the region is among the top priorities of our foreign and economic policies.  Afghanistan favors and will spare no efforts to restore its historical role that served as a land-bridge connecting countries of the region.  The importance of expanding relations between Afghanistan and the region is already obvious in many areas. We are making efforts to turn Kabul into a vibrant centre of activities across the region.  It was as part of these efforts that we hosted the high profile Regional Economic Cooperation Conference in December 2005 that was attended at ministerial level by countries of the region.  More recently, two important regional conferences were held in Kabul, one on coordinating regional policies and mechanisms for fighting narcotics and another on common challenges in the area of health. The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), which is currently being developed as a blue print for Afghanistan’s development over the next five years, establishes regional cooperation as one of Afghanistan’s core development strategy priorities. 

Afghanistan will continue to play an active role in furthering closer ties and cooperation among countries of the region. Thanks to our achievements over the past four years, Afghanistan has been able to establish constructive partnerships with ECO member states, many of whom have taken an active part in the reconstruction of our country and have benefited from our economic growth.  Today, tens of companies from our brotherly countries of Pakistan, Iran and Turkey are undertaking reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. Trade between Afghanistan and its neighbors has risen to more than 2.4 billion dollars a year, compared to less than 50 million dollars a year only a few years ago.

Despite the considerable progress we have made in strengthening regional cooperation, there is still huge potential for further expansion.  Considering this huge potential, trade among our countries is still very limited. Most ECO member states trade mostly with trade partners outside the region. For example, while in the European Union, trade among EU member countries constitutes 60% of their total transactions, for SAARC and ECO member countries this figure is less than 10%.  We hope that ECO will learn from positive experience of other successful regional organizations such as the European Union and expand trade and business in different areas among its member states. Such a program will require support and commitment of all ECO member countries.  Afghanistan is prepared to play an active part achieving this goal.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Our region was once a great center of civilization and one of the axis of the Silk Route.  I firmly believe that, in the 21 st century, we can revive our region’s glorious past and promote it into a centre of peace, security and prosperity.  To reach this goal, security needs to be ensured and cooperation needs to be enhanced at the regional level.

We will not have a safe and stable region unless the threats against security and stability of our region and the entire world are properly addressed.  In my opinion, the main source of insecurity and obstacle to cooperation between our countries is terrorism.  Terrorism threatens regional and global security. Terrorism does not recognize borders and most of the victims of international terrorism are Muslims.  Any weakness in our resolve to fight terrorism will bring harmful consequences to all of us.   Terrorism is a serious international threat that menaces our region.  It is therefore the duty of all of us to jointly fight this common enemy.  We have to fight vigorously against terror groups and their sources of finance and training.  We have to adopt a firm policy and an unwavering position that will leave no room for compromise in our determination to fight terrorism.

We in Afghanistan have given great sacrifices in the war against terror.  We will continue to play our own part in this fight and expect the same from other countries.  There should be no doubt that the security of our region is directly tied to the security of Afghanistan.  I hope no country assumes that the fire of terrorism will remain the problem of other countries.  If we don’t fight this menace with resolve, no country will remain safe from its threat.  Therefore, we must not allow terrorism to be used as a foreign policy tool.  

We want peaceful and prudent solutions to all regional and international issues, and our foreign policy is based on the premise of non-interference in other countries’ affairs and respect for each other’s sovereignty.  Consistent with this policy, we will do our utmost to maintain constructive relations with countries in the region.

On behalf of Afghanistan, I assure you that the Afghan people and their government will stay committed to our partnership with countries of the region and to the principle of regional cooperation – especially with ECO member states.

A democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, with a foreign policy that is based on the principles of friendship and co-existence with all countries of the world, is in the interest of the region.  As a partner to ECO member states, Afghanistan remains committed to strengthening cooperation and friendship among our countries. 

A vision of security, progress and prosperity in our region is the true reflection of the desires and legitimate aspirations of the peoples of our countries.  I fully believe that, through commitment and collective efforts, we will be able to make our common vision a reality.

Thank you