which your country has embarked will be a sustained and successful one. That is exactly what
may stop and reverse the drying up of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, thus enabling the
water to again find its way to the Aral Sea. Hope dies last, as the saying goes. After decades of
indiscriminate exploitation, the Aral Sea may once again slowly but surely regain its former size,
thereby benefiting everyone in the region.
As it is situated in the heart of Central Asia, Uzbekistan’s location is strategically
important. Its location is important for us in Germany, too. For thousands of years, your country
has not only been a crossroads and a place where businessmen, languages and cultures meet.
It also has a particularly important border. Your boundary with Afghanistan is where the
geographic region of Central Asia ends. Yet it is at the same time a bridge to the south. We all
remember well the visit to Kabul by Uzbekh Foreign Minister Kamilov in January 2017. It was
the first visit in nearly two decades.
The fact that this difficult relationship, too, is slowly being re-established is a symbol of
what we multilateralists believe in. All of us are obliged to not wall ourselves in, but rather
engage in dialogue – although it may be difficult and does require patience.
That is precisely what the European Union as a community of values and the Federal
Republic of Germany are built on. We believe in dialogue and in cooperation among partners,
partners with whom we want to interact as equals.
For this, democracy and the rule of law are absolutely essential. Uzbekistan appears to
be making good progress down this path. Even though much remains to be done – and here I
will specifically mention civil society and civil rights – we look forward to expanding our
dialogue with Uzbekistan. Whether that be in the OSCE, or in connection with Uzbekistan’s
desire to accede to the WTO.
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