The UN Security Council on Thursday voiced its support for diplomatic efforts to prevent conflicts in Central Asia and praised the work of the United Nations office that is helping Central Asian nations address regional concerns.

“The members of the Council reaffirmed the importance of preventive diplomacy and early warning mechanisms in the peaceful settlement of disputes and underlined the overriding political, humanitarian and moral imperatives, as well as the economic advantages, of preventing the outbreak, escalation or relapse of conflicts,” said a statement read to the press here by French Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Martin Briens, whose country holds the rotating Council presidency for August.

On Wednesday, the Security Council received a briefing by Miroslav Jenca, who is the head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), on the work of the UNRCCA over the past seven months.

The Security Council welcomed the role of the UNRCCA as an example of preventive diplomacy mechanisms available to the United Nations and acknowledged the role played by UNRCCA in assisting Central Asian countries to respond to domestic and transnational threats to peace and sustainable development of the region, said the statement.

The 15-member council also commended the UNRCCA’s focus on supporting efforts by the region’s governments to ensure stability and create a more conducive environment for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as to find sustainable solutions to challenges in Central Asia

In the statement, the Council members “reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the Regional Center to facilitate dialogue and assist the governments of Central Asia on regional issues of their common concern.”

They encouraged continued cooperation and coordination between governments in the region, UNRCCA and relevant regional organizations, said the statement.

In addition, the statement noted that the UNRCCA can play an important part by assisting Central Asian countries to normalize the situation in Afghanistan, which affects the entire region.

In 2007, the UNRCCA was established at the initiative of the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a special political mission tasked with dealing with threats of terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime and environmental degradation facing the region.

Xinhua