Dialogue of Asian Civilizations

 

On May 15th, 2019, Dr. Rashid Alimov, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (2016/2018) and Senior Fellow of Taihe Institute attended the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations and delivered a speech. Below is his speech words.

 

Dear Mr. Chairman,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

1. It is a special privilege for me, together with well-known politicians, scientists and public figures, to take part in the international conference “Dialogue of Asian Civilizations”.

 

2. There is no doubt that the conference will make its valuable contribution to the rapprochement with/between the peoples of Asia, their rich cultures and civilizations through broad dialogue and cooperation. In our time, during a period of fundamental changes in the system of international relations, such a dialogue is especially valuable, it has great political and moral significance.

 

3. Two weeks ago, the high-level Belt and Road International Conference completed its work in Beijing.  Our conference today can be considered as a logical continuation of the global discussion.  First of all, because the “Belt and Road” initiative is essentially a civilizational project and is of great importance for overall sustainable development.

 

4. Secondly, the conference acted as a global dialogue platform, where the voice in each country and organization was heard, and the voiced constructive proposals would form the basis of further joint actions. The main objective: those who supported the Initiative became part of a powerful creative process that, through dialogue, can and will change the world for the better.  For Asia, where over 5 billion people live, maintaining and developing the dialogue of civilizations are of paramount importance.

 

5. First, dialogue between Asian civilizations is the best answer in the fight against the most dangerous enemies of mankind, especially with international terrorism and extremism, drug trafficking and climate change.  Secondly, relying on a mutually respectful dialogue will allow us to more actively develop cooperation in the fields of security, economy and culture.

 

6. It should be recognized that the dialogue between Asian civilizations has never ceased and has its deep roots.  An example of this is the living history of the Great Silk, Sea, and Tea Roads.  Since ancient times, dialogue has promoted the interpenetration of cultures and the exchange of knowledge, the development of contacts, and the flourishing of Asian civilizations.

 

7. Numerous peoples of Asia are products of different original cultures, but a common human history. The humanitarian space of the Asian continent is associated with the names of the greatest thinkers, eminent pioneers in science who have made an invaluable contribution to the development of human civilization. Every third object of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list is located in Asia (1092 objects in total; in Asia - 314).  Asia is the cradle of all the major religions of the world: Buddhism and Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In this regard, the role of intercultural and interfaith dialogue in Asia is objectively increasing.

 

8. The world is witnessing how an active process of expanding and deepening trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties is under way in the vast expanses of Asia. The transport interconnectedness of Asian countries is being strengthened. The pace of economic development in Asia is impressive: in the top three largest economies in the world - two Asian countries (China and Japan).  In terms of coverage with modern communication networks, Asian countries are again among the leaders (Republic of Korea and Japan).  The leading positions are occupied by Asian countries in the field of education, science, and sports etc..

 

9. At the same time, in spite of some outstanding figures, in Asia there is a high level of inequality both between and within countries.  Every fourth landlocked country in the world is in Asia.  The level of their economic development is significantly constrained by the remoteness of seaports.  In some countries of Asia, internal conflicts continue to smolder, the settlement of which is possible only by political and diplomatic means.  The level of terrorist threat is not decreasing.  All this greatly increases the demand for the establishment and development of dialogue in Asia.

 

10. On the Asian continent, there are many dialogue sites.  First of all, about 20 regional international organizations can be attributed to them.  Among them are such reputable ones as ASEAN and SCO, CICA and others.  Each of them plays an important role in building mutual trust in Asia.  In my opinion, there is a need to organize a joint meeting of the leaders of these organizations to discuss topical issues in Asia.  This form of dialogue on a regular basis could also help to maintain and strengthen joint efforts in order to ensure peace and maintain security, strengthen friendship among the peoples of Asia and mutually beneficial cooperation.

 

Thank you for your attention and wish all the conference participants great success.

 

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