New York: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to create a permanent UN committee on Afghanistan to assist the peace process and economic recovery in the country.
President Mirziyoyev delivered his speech by video call at the general debate of the 75th session of the UNGA from Uzbek.
Mirziyoyev outlined the steps his nation has taken to try to promote peace in Afghanistan, starting with a major international forum held in Tashkent in March 2018.
Since then, Uzbekistan has invested heavily in power line, railway and other infrastructures in Afghanistan, the president said. “We consider Afghanistan as an integral part of Central Asia … We fully support the peace talks among the Afghan political forces launched this year in the city of Doha in September,” the president said in his address.
“We believe that the issues of ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan must remain a constant focus of the United Nations. Only together and through close cooperation we can realize all the dreams and aspirations of the Afghan people,” he said. “Therefore, we need to establish at the UN a permanent committee that will listen to the hopes and aspirations of the Afghan people. The main aim of the committee should be to assist the economic and social development in Afghanistan,” the president said. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan plans to popularize sports and healthy lifestyles among the population to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic, a draft presidential decree said Wednesday.
The document posted for public discussion said that formation of healthy lifestyles among the public is an urgent task during the pandemic.
It suggests providing a 50 percent discount on the provision of all public services to those people who walk at least 10,000 steps a day, or 3.6 million steps per year, and a free subscription to use gyms. According to the draft document, a state program called “We win pandemic with sports” envisages to popularize walking, running, mini-football, volleyball, biking, badminton and various forms of fitness among the population.–Agencies
