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On the Alma-Ata Meeting
3 July 1998
The Republic of Kazahkstan, the People's Republic of China, the People's Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan (hereinafter referred to as "the parties"),
In view of the agreement on the build-up of confidence in the military field in border areas signed in Shanghai in 1996 by the participating countries of this meeting and the agreement on mutual reduction of military forces in border areas signed in Moscow in 1997 by the same participating countries, and the willingness to expand and strengthen their multilateral cooperation on this basis;
Satisfied with the sustained development of the good-neighborliness, friendship, mutual trust and all-round cooperation among the five countries;
Upholding the universally-accepted norms of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality and non-interference in each other's internal affairs; and in favor of solving the disputes and differences among the countries through friendly consultation;
Emphasizing that further expanding and strengthening the bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the spirit of good-neighborliness and friendship is in the fundamental interests of the peoples of the five countries and constitutes an important positive factor for the stability, security, development and prosperity in this region and the whole Asia;
Considering that large-scale economic cooperation is of vital significance to the consolidation of the regional peace and stability;
Noticing the global development in establishing multilateral cooperation mechanisms and its growing impact on Central Asia;
And in light of the results of this meeting;
Hereby make the following statements:
1. The parties will take all necessary measures to ensure the strict implementation of the agreement on the build-up of confidence in the military field in border areas signed on April 26, 1996 and the agreement on mutual reduction of military forces in border areas signed on April 24, 1997 and reaffirm the importance of holding regular consultations on the implementation of the above two agreements.
The parties highly value the important positive impact of the Shanghai and Moscow agreements on the security in this region and the world at large, believing that this is a concrete manifestation of the new-type security concept that has been shaping and developing since the end of the Cold War, and also a successful try in consolidating regional and global security and cooperation. The coordination among the five countries is an open one, not directed at any third country.
2. The parties, proceeding from the reality of this region, agree to actively hold bilateral and regional dialogue and consultations on security issues and welcome all the interested countries in this region to participate in this process.
The parties agree to hold meetings, when necessary, at the levels of experts, foreign ministers and heads of state and government to discuss the issues of how to ensure security and expand cooperation in Central Asia and the entire Asian continent
3. The parties support the basic ideas of Kazakhstan's proposal on convening the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, and express their willingness to continue to actively improve them. The parties highly value the initiative of the Central Asian countries on the establishment of a Central Asian nuclear-free zone.
4. The parties express their willingness to continue their in-depth consultations on major international issues and the situation in Asia and, if necessary, to hold consultations via the United Nations, other international and regional organizations and conferences.
5. The parties are unanimous that any form of national splittism, ethnic exclusion and religious extremism is unacceptable. The parties will take steps to fight against international terrorism, organized crimes, arms smuggling, the trafficking of drugs and narcotics, and other transnational criminal activities and will not allow their territories to be used for the activities undermining the national sovereignty, security and social order of any of the five countries.
6. The parties agree that the following basic principles must be observed in developing economic cooperation of equality and mutual benefit:
- Provide internationally-accepted trade terms to each other in order to expand their trade volumes;
- Encourage and support various forms of economic and trade cooperation in local and border areas as well as cooperation between large enterprises and large companies of the five countries;
- Improve their respective investment environment; so as to create conditions for boosting investment in the economic projects in their countries.
7. The parties hold that it is necessary to intensify and encourage large-scale and long-term cooperation in all economic fields, including the construction of oil and gas pipelines and the railway, highway, water and air transport.
The parties will give priority to upgrading and utilizing the existing transport and pipeline facilities between them or leading to other countries. While primary attention should be paid to the profitability, reliability and safety of both the on-going and future projects, due consideration should be given to the national and economic interests of the countries along the routes of these projects.
The parties welcome all the interested countries and companies to participate in these projects.
The parties attach importance to the cooperation in the field of energy on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, including the feasibility studies on the projects supplying electricity to each other and allowing power transmission to pass through their territories.
The parties attach great importance to the protection of the environment of this region and are willing to cooperate in this field.
8. The parties hold that the international situation is undergoing profound changes, the economic globalization is accelerating and the trend toward a multi-polar world is becoming clearer, which will help promote the stability of the international situation and create conditions for the social and economic development of all countries in the world. Peace and development have become themes of common concern to all people in the world.
Meanwhile, a series of recent events show that the international community is far from achieving the goal of ensuring a lasting peace and stability.
9. The parties are concerned over the tensions in Afghanistan. They note that greater efforts should be made to promote a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in that country under the auspices of the United Nations and with the participation of the countries concerned. At the same time, consideration should be given to the interests of all the national and religious groups and political forces involved in the conflicts.
The parties welcome the initiative put forward and supported by the United Nations for the settlement of the conflicts in Afghanistan, including the convening of a peace conference on Afghanistan in Bishkek.
10. The parties express their grave concern over the growing tension in South Asia following the nuclear tests in that region.
The parties are willing to work with the international community for eliminating the distrust in South Asia, stopping the nuclear arms race there and upholding the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
In this regard, the parties call for an unconditional entry into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by all the countries which have failed to do so.
11. The parties reiterate that it is imperative to establish an equitable international political and economic new order for the common peace and prosperity in the 21st century. The parties are determined to turn their relationship of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation into a sustained and effective important factor for the stability, security and development in the entire Eurasia region.
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the
opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or
its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by
MIIS.
