Abstract:
NOTE: There were 44 states in attendance at the Tashkent Conference, according to Tariq Rauf, director of the International Organizations Nonproliferation Project of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, who attended the conference. Rauf included only countries, not NGOs, in his figure. Some sources cited below had printed that there were "over 60 states", while others said "56 states" in attendance. These numbers may vary due to NGOs having been part of the official count.

On 15 September 1997, the "Central Asia: A Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons" international conference was held in Tashkent. The conference considered the idea of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia, an Uzbekistani proposal that was accepted by the Central Asian heads of state in signing the Almaty Declaration in February 1997.[2] The document stated that these countries consider this agreement vital to strengthening regional security.[1] Uzbekistani President Islam Karimov said that there must be increased cooperation in the areas of "stockpiling, controlling, and accounting for nuclear materials" to maintain security.[3] According to Uzbekistani Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov, the non-nuclear weapon states should "play the decisive role in strengthening the NPT." Russia supports this measure. Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that Russia endorses countries seeking regional nuclear nonproliferation, and is "ready to take additional measures for guaranteeing their truly nuclear-free status." The zone would include Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In attendance were 16 international organizations and 56 states, including the "nuclear five", the UN, the EU, NATO, the IAEA, states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and many others. According to NATO representative, Leonard Hill, NATO has not yet taken a position on the proposed zone.[2]

Supporting Sources:

[1] Mekhman Gafarly, Nezavisimaya gazeta (Moscow), 19 September 1997, p. 3; in FBIS-TAC-97-265, 22 September 1997, "Central Asian States' Nuclear-Free Plan Reported." [2] Interfax (Moscow), 16 September 1997; in FBIS-TAC-97-259, 16 September 1997, "Non-Nuclear Zone Conference in Central Asia Ends 16 September." [3] Interfax (Moscow), 15 September 1997; in FBIS-SOV-97-258, 15 September 1997, "Karimov Opens Nuclear Free Zone Conference Tashkent." [4] Valeriy Niyazmatov, RIA (Moscow), 16 September 1997; in FBIS-TAC-97-259, 16 September 1997, "Baku Supports Nuclear-Free Zones in Central Asia, Caucasus." [5] Interfax (Moscow), 16 September 1997; in BBC Monitoring Summary Of World Broadcasts, 18 September 1997, "Russia Backs Uzbek Proposal For Nuclear-Free Central Asia." [6] Turkish Daily News, 18 September 1997, "Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Conference Ends."