Page 16 - DIVA_3_2019
P. 16

international




              countries. During the Kazakh presidency of the UN Security   not over, President Armen Sarkissian of Armenia said. He
              Council, in January 2018, a meeting was devoted to "Building   pointed out, that globalization is not new. It started in a
              Regional Partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia as a   sense with Alexander the Great and the old Silk Road. Today
              Model to link Security and Development'         Armenia was a crossroad, "a small state, but a global nation'
              For the debate Kazakhstan had circulated a concept note,   Armenia had very good relations with Russia and Eurasia
              which emphasized regional integration, cooperation on   and saw no contradiction in having an agreement with the
              terrorism and economic development. UN Secretary General   European Union.
              Antonio Guterres presented a report on the subject. He said  "Use Armenia as a bridge:' he said. Also, Toomas Hendrik
              Central Asia has made significant progress on sustainable   Ilves, former President of Estonia, pointed out that since the
              development in recent decades. But the landlocked  appearance of the Smartphone in 2006/07 there has been an
              countries in this region can never achieve their full potential   explosion of access to the internet, now reaching four billion
              alone. "Growth, increased employment opportunities and   people. "That reduces the chance of de-globalization" Baige
              prosperity depend on accelerated economic cooperation and   Zhao, Vice Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Commission
              integration:' he said. Guterres noted further that despite the   of China's National People's Congress, said she preferred
              centuries during which the Silk Road was one of the most   to call the current state of development in international
              important trading routes in the world, trade between Central   relations "new globalization" rather than "de-globalization'
              Asian countries has fallen to low levels since they achieved   Technology was changing the world very fast, with huge
              independence nearly 30 years ago. The UN Secretary General   opportunities for growth. Developing countries had had no
              stated also, Central Asian governments have begun to   access to information just some years ago. But now they had
              intensify cooperation on water resources through bilateral   the tools for independent development.
              water commissions and agreements. These developments hold   Sir Ivan Rogers, the United Kingdom's former Permanent
              important lessons for Afghanistan, where water-dependent   Representative to the EU, commented on Britain's June 2016
              farming and agriculture make up nearly half of the economy,   referendum decision to leave the EU in the context of de-
              he said. The UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy   globalization. The referendum result was a consequence of
              for Central Asia (UNRCCA) was ready to help to modernize   the financial crisis, he said. A lot of discontent had built up
              the regional framework on managing trans-boundary water   particularly about social inequality, which poorer people
              resources.                                      tended to blame on globalization. Those wanting to leave the
                                                              EU had a powerful slogan - "Take Back Control'
              In Almaty at the Eurasian Media Forum, presidential advisor   Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev
              Karin noted that rapprochement is a basis for regional   pointed out that Kazakhstan, the biggest landlocked country
              integration. While there is today only political integration   in the world, was not well placed to play an active part in
              between Central Asian countries, in the future there could be   de-globalization. On the contrary, his country had faced a
              developed intersectoral programs of ministries of the different   huge challenge after the break-up of the Soviet Union and
              countries and businesses or public-private partnerships, he   had to reach out to the outside world. "Kazakhstan favors a
              suggested. Uzbekistan's Uzakov agreed and said a mutual   dialogue of integration, which is only possible with trust and
              understanding is needed between the countries. "We need   confidence:' he said. He underlined that Kazakhstan is also a
              to resolve issues which historically haven't been resolved,   host for Syrian peace talks and had played a role in facilitating
              for example concerning borders. Uzbekistan currently has a   the international nuclear deal with Iran.
              bilateral commission with Tajikistan to resolve this and also
              in demining' he said, "There was significant progress in the
              last two years'
              Wayne Curtis Weldon, a former U.S. Republican Party
              congressman (1987-2007), stressed that Central Asian
              countries need to attract investors to grow their economies.
              He noted that the U.S. was booming now, and there is
              virtually no unemployment. He stressed that U.S. jobs were
              not created by the State, but by private businesses.
              With view to foreign investments Muhammad Olimat,
              Professor at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, UAE, said
              Saudi-Arabia and the Emirates had much to offer in Central
              Asia.

              Ongoing globalization
              At the forum in a high-level debate the question of whether the
              world is heading into a reverse process of "de-globalization"
              after years of globalization was discussed. Panelists, however,
              rejected the suggestion of de-globalization. Despite concerns
                                                               Baige Zhao, Vice Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Commission
              about trade wars and rising populism, globalization was             of China's National People's Congress


              INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT .  DIVA
                                                                                                          17
   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21