Tashkent calls on Asian countries to prevent intensification of protectionism policies and introduction of new restrictions in order to jointly overcome the effects of the global crisis. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev made this statement at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on Thursday.
"The key issue of our meeting today is the adaptation of our economies to the growing negative consequences of the global crisis. It is important to prevent the strengthening of protectionism, as well as the introduction of new restrictions that destabilize global markets," he said.
The head of Uzbekistan also urged to strengthen relations between the states in the Asian region, primarily through the creation of production-logistics chains and transport corridors, which would effectively connect Central Asia with South and East, as well as with the Middle East.
Mirziyoyev also called on Asian countries to work on harmonizing technical regulations to boost inter-regional trade. "Most of the states on our continent are major importers of food and are acutely affected by the food crisis. <...> At the same time, our countries are also the world's leading food producers. In this respect, new approaches in such directions as the formation of sustainable schemes for food production and optimal food supply chains, harmonization of technical regulations for the growth of inter-regional trade, and creation of an integrated system for monitoring food security in Asia are especially necessary today," he said.
Mirziyoyev also suggested discussing these issues at an international conference under the auspices of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to be held in Uzbekistan next year.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS