UN General Assembly
1994

First of all, we consider that settlement of these conflicts is solely the internal affair of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. At the same time, one should keep in mind the fact that these States are the geographical neighbors of Uzbekistan and that there is a potential danger of the regional escalation of these conflicts. That is why we view the situation in these countries with great concern and we are interested in the earliest possible settlement of these conflicts by political and diplomatic means. I should particularly like to emphasize that today this region is becoming a dangerous zone of open production of and trade in drugs and weapons. These conflicts are exacerbated by the fact that certain forces are secretly seeking to maintain tension in order to strengthen and expand their influence by making use of various religious and nationalist slogans. Moreover, there are some influential groups of drug and weapon dealers interested in continuing the military confrontation for the sake of the preservation of their illegal profits.