Central Asian foreign ministers meet in New York

    The foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met in New York on the sidelines of the 71^st session of the UN General Assembly. The diplomats met on on September 22 upon the initiative of Kazakhstan, a press statement from the Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan says.
    The Foreign Ministers expressed common interest in a joint fight against security threats and steps to ensure stability in the Central Asian region. Steps outlined included the fight against terrorism, extremism and illicit drug trafficking, moves to strengthen border security, and the implementation of the goals of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaty.
    The parties involved vowed to deepen existing friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation of the countries in the political, security, economic, education, scientific and cultural sectors.
    The participating diplomats discussed preparations for the 43^rd Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, scheduled for October 18-19 in Tashkent.
    Following the meeting, all participants noted the importance of continued regular meetings of the foreign ministers to strengthen the spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding in Central Asia, according to Kazinform.