The event was organized by the Regional Policy Foundation and the Center for Policy Studies (Uzbekistan), together with the OSCE Projects Coordinator in Uzbekistan, the United States Agency for International Development and the Institute for New Democracies (USA). The conference was attended by more than 40 political scientists and security experts from 20 countries in Asia, America and Europe.

The forum participants extensively discussed issues of security and sustainable development in the region and came to a single conclusion: today the situation in Afghanistan, whose people for almost 30 years have not seen a peaceful life, remains the main factor affecting the security and sustainable development in Central Asian region, as well as global security. At the same time, the experts made another important conclusion: military methods for solving the Afghan problem have exhausted themselves. Focusing only on the military solution to the Afghan issue is counterproductive and may lead to further confrontations in the country. Besides, the conflict may spread into the neighboring countries.

The only way to solve the Afghan crisis is to search for optimal peaceful solution of the problems to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan.

This is why the conference participants broadly supported the proposals of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, voiced at the NATO/EAPC summit in Bucharest on 3 April 2008.

"Bucharest initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov are a globally significant contribution to solving the problem of security in the region," Professor Vitaly Naumkin, president of the Center for Strategic and Political Studies (Russia), said. "In fact, the leader of Uzbekistan offered a new model of open cooperation, which will ensure security in Central Asia."

Pointing to the fact that Uzbekistan proposed clear and well-thought ways of peaceful solution to the problems of Afghanistan, expert of the Caucasus Research Centre Paramjit Sahay (India) noted: "Indeed, the use of force has not proved helpful in addressing the Afghan conflict, and all opportunities have been exhausted in this regard. The situation in Afghanistan can only be resolved through broad cooperation and political consent. It is necessary, first of all, to draw the attention to social sectors like education, health and projects for economic rehabilitation of Afghanistan. From this perspective, the initiatives of President Islam Karimov put forward in Bucharest are extremely important."

"Initiatives of Uzbekistan are extremely important. These timely proposals will help find an effective way of stabilizing Afghanistan," president of the Institute of Regional Studies, General Jamsheed Ayaz Khan (Pakistan) said. "As a military person I can say that all possibilities for reaching peace in Afghanistan using military force have been exhausted. Stability in Afghanistan will lead to the development of multilateral relations and serve as an important factor for stable development of Central Asia. This, in turn, will help implementing major projects in energy and transport links between the countries of Central Asia and our ports, oil and gas pipelines, as well as increase the number of export and import operations."

Speaking at the conference, an expert of the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies of Afghanistan Najeeb ur Rahman Manalay emphasized that his country could not reach peace by military means. In his opinion, to solve the stabilization problem, people of Afghanistan had to receive social and economic assistance. If people have the sense of creativity there, they will start working, earning and being responsible for the prosperity, welfare and peace in their country. These are the solutions of the Afghan crisis that the initiatives of Uzbekistan are aimed at.

The experts participating in the conference showed full support of the proposals of the head of Uzbekistan to transform the group 6+2, which operated until 2001, into the contact group 6+3 to reach peace and stability in Afghanistan.

According to analysts, the contact group, which should include six countries neighboring Afghanistan – Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Russia, US and NATO, could become a crucial platform for discussion and formulation of common principles and approaches to find ways to resolve the Afghan problem and to reach common understanding and interest to achieve peace and consent in Afghanistan. Working under the auspices of the UN as an advisory body to this authoritative organization, the contact group 6+3 could make a significant contribution to the efforts of the international community and peaceful mission for reconstruction and economic revival of Afghanistan, as well as organization of the negotiating process between the warring and conflicting parties in finding mutually acceptable solutions to the Afghan crisis. The group’s main task could be developing proposals to expand economic and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the framework of various international programs and mainly UN programs.

"This new idea will enable active and large-scale international cooperation in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan," professor of the School of Eastern and African Studies of the University of London Shirin Akiner (UK) noted.

Deputy director of the Center for Justice and Rule of Law at the University of East Kentucky (USA) Cynthia Collins Shane also believes that the resumption of the negotiating process within the contact group 6+3 will be an important factor in advancing new ideas in development of common approaches to resolve the Afghan problem and adoption of mutually coordinated solutions.

The conference participants paid a particular attention to discussing the part of Uzbekistan’s proposals to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, in which the importance of ensuring priority solution of social, economic and employment problems and strengthening the vertical of authority was noted.

As deputy director of the Russia and Central Asia Division of the Shanghai Institute of International Relations Nin Qiang pointed out, "President Islam Karimov said in Bucharest that sustainable social and economic development was the main target in ensuring security in Afghanistan and in the region. This is quite logical and justified".

Director of the Institute of Eastern European and CIS countries (Israel) Alexander Zinker believes that "all proposals of the Uzbek leader were well thought-out and accurate in their essence and in the possibility of implementation. Indeed, it is necessary, first of all, to restore the socio-economic sphere, build schools, hospitals and employ the people. We must once and forever resolve the problem with Afghan borders, which are now freely crossed by both drug traffickers and terrorists". At the same time, he stressed that "local traditions should necessarily be taken into account".

As a key condition for stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and bringing peace to this troubled land, the experts noted the need to respect and support traditional religious, ethnic and cultural values and customs of the multi-ethnic people of Afghanistan, respect for the interests of national minorities, inadmissibility of biased attacks and defamation on the religion of Islam, as was voiced by President of Uzbekistan.

Afghan experts noted that the Uzbek leader’s call to respect traditions, customs and religion of the Afghan people is aimed at spiritual development of Afghanistan. So far, nobody paid attention to these issues, although the Afghan people have a rich history and their place in the world civilization.

According to independent expert Francis Tibor Miko (USA), "there is a whole layer of urgent issues related to ethnic problems and problems affecting the socio-economic stability in the region. In this regard, the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan will serve as a bridge for the development of a more intensive cooperation and a more effective solution to ensure stability in Afghanistan".

The expert of the Institute of International Studies (UK) Christopher Roland Lengton emphasized that "proposals of Islam Karimov are very interesting and are based on the real situation in Afghanistan. I also believe that without strengthening the vertical of power in Afghanistan nothing can be achieved. Authorities that people trust must be created, but with consideration of the local peculiarities".

Summing up the conference, its participants stressed that the forum provided an opportunity to express their positions and started a deep expert study of Uzbekistan’s initiatives put forward at the NATO/EAPC summit in Bucharest. This will undoubtedly contribute to the cause of peace and stability in Afghanistan and further socio-economic development of the entire Central Asian region, they said.