Speeches and Transcripts
Remarks to the International Conference on "Central Asia and Afghanistan: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects"
George A. Krol
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
Center for Strategic Research, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
November 11, 2008
Distinguished guests and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen!
Thank you for the invitation to speak today on a topic of fundamental importance to my country and to all the countries in this region.
Before I begin, let me thank Suhrob Sharipov and his team here at the Center for Strategic Research for organizing this conference. The Center is dedicated to engaging Tajikistan, its neighbors, and international partners to advance common interests and resolve the common problems in the region. This is a most important task and I wish the center and all its members great success.
A discussion of the challenges, opportunities, and prospects, shared by Afghanistan and Central Asia is timely and necessary. I have visited Central Asia several times this year since I became Deputy Assistant Secretary. In every country, one of the main topics the leaders I met have raised with me is Afghanistan. All recognize that destinies of all the countries in this region are bound together. All perceive that conflict and instability in Afghanistan weaken the stability of the entire region and close off trade opportunities. But, all know peace and stability in Afghanistan will bolster the stability of the entire region and open up trade opportunities. Today and tomorrow we can share our insights and perhaps commit ourselves to some specific steps toward realizing these goals.
First let me answer a question that may be on some of your minds. Why does the United States care about Afghanistan and Central Asia? The United States is far away and has little historical, cultural, political or economic ties to the region. Some commentators claim the United States simply wants to dominate this region because of imperial ambition or to control its energy resources or simply to play the old Great Game of thwarting the ambitions of other powers such as Russia or China who want to dominate the region.
This commentary makes for exciting reading and discussion. Indeed it makes for good fiction, for fiction it is. The United States has clear security interests in seeing stability and peace prevail in Afghanistan and more broadly in Central Asia. No one can forget that planning for the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington came from people who were given haven in Afghanistan. No one can ignore the steam of narcotics from Afghanistan. The threats from Afghanistan have reached our very shores many thousands of miles away and have killed our people.
In response to these threats the United States has used military force. But we have also provided billions of dollars to address the root causes of those threats – poverty and the absence of strong civil institutions. The United States does not seek to rule Afghanistan or dominate Central Asia. We wish to see Afghanistan become a crossroads for legitimate commerce not a barrier to trade, a land that can feed its own people not export drugs, a bastion of stability not a haven for terrorists or a lawless center of extremism, intolerance and banditry.
These interests are shared not only by my country but by all the countries in the region including powers such as Russia and China and Iran. We do not seek to exclude other countries with interests in the region. To the contrary, we all have an immense stake in seeing peace and security restored to Afghanistan and in seeing stability and prosperity develop throughout Central Asia as it becomes more Central and less peripheral to global economic and political trends.
The United States sees the countries in the region not as pawns in a Great Game of influence but as sovereign, independent states that should be free to develop themselves in accordance with international law and standards and in a secure environment not under external threat or internal coercion. The United States endeavors to work cooperatively with Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia as a partner not as a dictator or hegemon. Our security interests are surely your security interests. Our goals are your goals. These are the foundations of American foreign policy in the region and will remain so regardless of the election that took place a few days ago in my country.
Foreign policy goals are by nature long term and achieved over time, through patient dedication and incremental steps. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union 17 years ago, our foreign policy in Central Asia has championed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each newly independent country. Our relations with each country are founded on shared interests of peace, stability, and prosperity for all citizens. These basic shared values and principles do not change, regardless of who is president or which party has the majority in our Congress.
To be sure, the United States sometimes has had to react swiftly and decisively to events that threaten the security of our citizens. In response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, we with international backing and the support of all the states of Central Asia, Russia and Iran launched the military offensive in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in October 2001. Within a few weeks we achieved the immediate objective of destroying Al Quaeda, the perpetrators of September 11 attacks, in Afghanistan. We then set out on the long road to rebuilding a country that had endured 25 years of civil war and extremist rule. We have since been working with the international community and Afghanistan’s neighbors to bring long term security to Afghanistan and help the new Afghan government restore hope and opportunities to the Afghan people. To strengthen the fragile peace terrorist elements are still trying to destroy, we have dedicated ourselves to helping the region develop corridors of trade and transportation and economic interaction that can unite Central and South Asia through Afghanistan, again working with Afghanistan’s neighbors and the international community.
In Afghanistan itself, for the past seven years, the United States Government has invested billions of dollars to provide education for boys and girls, young women and men, healthcare for people throughout the country, and sustainable agriculture to replace opium cultivation. As part of NATO forces, our military servicemen and women have joined the fight against terrorism there and hundreds have died. But not in vain. Although the security situation in parts of Afghanistan remains unsettled, vital infrastructure is being built, a new generation of Afghans is being educated and trained. Our strategic investment requires strategic patience and the continued support of your countries, who also have been providing substantial assistance to Afghanistan. The new American administration will continue the effort to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan's citizens and neighbors, and encourage trade to flow across regional borders.
What have we accomplished so far and what specific tasks remain for all of us still ahead?
Let me start with the most tangible example of our strategy to encourage trade flows in the region - the $37 million bridge across the Nizhniy Pyanj River along the Tajik-Afghan border. In 2002, to anchor the region on a sound economic basis, we began planning the construction of the bridge to be the centerpiece of a north-south trade corridor. Today, a year after the bridge opened, trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan has tripled. Our embassies in Kabul and Dushanbe have sponsored two trade fairs in Kunduz to bring potential partners together. The bridge has opened up vistas of possibility, including an interstate bus route from Dushanbe to Kunduz, 30 kilometers across the Afghan border. In August the Tajik Customs Service accepted the $6.5 million border facility that adjoins the bridge and will improve Tajikistan’s border security capabilities and ease the movement of travelers and cargo between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Our foreign policy for the countries of Central and South Asia is pragmatic and based on the mutually reinforcing goals of cooperation in security, economic development, and democratic reform. In Tajikistan alone we have demonstrated our commitment to these goals with a cumulative investment of more than $900 million since we established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Tajikistan has been a steadfast partner of the United States in fighting terrorism, the narcotics trade, and trafficking in persons. I would like to express the gratitude of the U.S. Government to the leadership of Tajikistan for its unwavering support for coalition military operations in Afghanistan. From the beginning, Tajikistan has granted overflight rights, which contributed to the rout of Al Quaeda and the Taliban in 2001 and improved relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Tajikistan itself knows too well the costs of insecurity and extremist interference. The memory of the long civil war here remains a vivid reminder of the vital importance to Tajikistan and to the region of peace in Afghanistan.
In 2006, the United States fortified its security partnership with Tajikistan with substantial resources to strengthen border control, build defense and law enforcement capacity, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and promote the rule of law. Our embassy hired 20 American and Tajik staff to work with Tajikistan's government on joint programs. In the past two years we have invested $60 million for security programs, and infrastructure projects for law enforcement personnel in the Drug Control Agency, Ministry of Interior, Border Guards, and the Committee for National Security.
Any effort to promote legitimate trade across the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan has to also stop illicit drug trade. Since 2006, we have constructed the border crossing points at the Nizhniy Pyanj Bridge, as it is known on the Tajik side, and at Sher Khan Bandar, the Afghan name of the bridge. We equipped these customs and immigration posts with scanning equipment so that both Tajik and Afghan authorities can better manage and facilitate legitimate trade and travel. In Tajikistan we have renovated three border control points and in 2008 we will renovate five more. We have invested more than $4 million on academies for the Border Guards, the Ministry of Interior, and the Committee for National Security. Another $9 million has been allocated for a joint counter-narcotics/counter-terrorism training center to be shared among Tajikistan's law enforcement and security services.
Stability and prosperity for this region must be based both on cooperation in security and on robust trade among neighbors. Central Asian countries are working to increase the supply of electricity to Afghanistan, which will strengthen Afghanistan's economy and provide much needed capital to its trading partners. In June 2007, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed a protocol to deliver electricity to Afghanistan after repairing the transmission network and then signed a power purchasing agreement to start delivering power in May 2009. Next steps include construction of a $19 million transmission line from Uzbekistan to the Afghanistan border and upgrading substations in Uzbekistan that will double the export capacity to Afghanistan.
In November 2007, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement to implement the $500 million Central Asia South Asia Regional Electricity Market (CASAREM) plan. The framework covers several stages of providing electricity transmission systems between Tajikistan and Pakistan via Afghanistan and supplying Kyrgyz electricity through Tajikistan to South Asia.
In August of this year, Tajikistan and Afghanistan signed a power purchase agreement, which releases loans from the Asian Development Bank. Tajikistan -will export surplus power in the summer months to meet shortfalls in Afghanistan. Hydroelectric stations on Tajikistan's Vakhsh River will supply electricity to the Afghan border town of Sher Khan Bandar, on to Kunduz and ultimately Kabul. The project includes infrastructure upgrades in Tajikistan to reduce the winter power deficit by generating power more efficiently and decreasing technical losses.
Another promising infrastructure project to integrate the region is the $70 million fiber optic communications ring Afghanistan is building to connect into neighboring telecommunications links. The system will provide high bandwidth connection nodes to major border crossings in six locations including Ghazni, Herat and Helmand. Since most of Central Asia connects to the world via high tech satellite links, the fiber optic ring will greatly enhance regional connectivity. The ring is already connected to Iran and may be ready to launch service from Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif. The ring will also provide an important, cheaper link between Central Asia, Pakistan, and India.
These efforts to strengthen border control and build trade and communication infrastructure to integrate commerce in Central and South Asia create exciting opportunities and prospects for the region. But we also see the challenges ahead. We encourage Tajikistan to take specific steps to expand cross-border cooperation with Afghanistan. Tajikistan and Afghanistan are linked by history, culture, and language. The two sides must overcome the distrust that still lingers from the last decades of the 20th century.
All countries in the region must balance security against the important need to facilitate border crossing by law abiding citizens and legal goods that will enhance the quality of life on both sides of the border. As long as governments hamper legitimate business by excessive control at manned border points, illegitimate trade will continue to flow through undefended gaps. Illegal trade will diminish when it is easier to trade the vegetables, fruits, cement, and construction materials that currently cross through border check points.
Countries also need to amend their visa regimes to allow in people of good will and keep out only the criminals. In Tajikistan, visas should not be denied to Afghan businessmen and women and exchange students. Corruption should be eradicated. Afghans should not have to pay more than $1,000 for a visa as we hear in some cases. Tajik officials have suggested close consultations with their southern neighbors to ease travel. We encourage this as a promising first step.
Indeed we have seen encouraging signs that Tajikistan is opening up possibilities for closer cooperation with Afghanistan. Next month, Tajikistan's Ministry of Defense will conduct training for 30 Afghan soldiers. For the first time ever, the Ministry is providing instruction in basic tactics and English language for entry level officers of Afghanistan's military at the National Military Institute in Dushanbe. This training can build confidence and open up a new area for regional cooperation between the two neighboring militaries.
At the October Ministerial Conference on Border Security and Counter-Narcotics in Dushanbe, President Rahmon proposed joint training for Tajik and Afghan law enforcement and security officers. General Gafarov, the First Deputy of Tajikistan's Committee for National Security, advocated an integrated border management strategy. My country welcomes these initiatives.
I want to be clear. The United States is ready to immediately support joint training courses for Tajiks and Afghans. We just renovated a training facility on the grounds of the border guard detachment in Khorog. This would be an ideal location when the two sides are ready to discuss details. I call on the Tajik authorities to work with the U.S. Embassy to arrange such classes, invite counterparts from Afghanistan, issue the visas, and begin training.
As part of our strategy to link Central and South Asia, we are collaborating with the Afghan government to establish economic linkages from its southern border into Pakistan. For too long, this region has been divided and become a haven for extremists and criminals. We hope our cooperative efforts in developing compatible customs practices, agreements for water and electricity and transparent trucking regulations will pay off in expanded energy and trade for the economies of Afghanistan and South Asia. We also believe that the same developments will renew great opportunities for Central Asian economies to sell more of their own goods and expand their markets to South Asia. Renewal of these historic southern trade routes will offer Central Asian countries price competition to their traditional trading partners, lower the prices of imported items, and improve access to a broader range of goods from around the world. As President Rahmon once said, Tajikistan and Central Asia need oxygen to develop – that oxygen is expanded trade opportunities to all points on the compass and increased investment in the economies of Central Asia.
One Tajik businessman at the Kunduz agricultural fair last May told our ambassador he envisioned motels, gas stations, grocery stores, and cafes sprouting up along the Tajik border at the Nizhniy-Pyanj Bridge. This site is close to where the first international tourist to Tajikistan -- Alexander the Great crossed in 329 BC and on the same point where the Afghan trader Sher Khan wanted to build a bridge in the 1930s. Although trade has tripled since the bridge opened last October and 200 trucks are now crossing every day, the bridge was built for 1,000 trucks a day. An empty expanse still opens out past the customs facilities. With the political will of Tajiks and Afghans to cooperate more closely, the bridge will yet fulfill its destiny of being the center of trade between South and Central Asia, power will flow from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan's mountains to consumers in the South, communications between neighbors will require a simple phone call, and people throughout the region will enjoy a growing prosperity and peace with their neighbors.
My friends and colleagues, my career serving in the region of the former Soviet Union has taught me to be patient. And you have been very patient with me today. It also has taught me the importance of developing long term trust and long term commitment to partners. The United States is committed to being a partner to Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia. Your security enhances our security. And that security can only be assured not by military bases but by strong economies and relationships that bring the peoples of this region together and into the mainstream of the broader world. With continued trust, mutual respect and commitment among all of us, I am confident together we can achieve this future.
Thank you for your attention.
