DUSHANBE, April 21, 2010, Asia-Plus -- A two-day international seminar on “Stability and Security in Central Asia: Interaction with International and Regional Organizations”, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) has opened in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan today, press release issued by UNRCCA said. 

The seminar participants include representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, France, Iran, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, the UK and the USA.  International and regional organizations present include CIS, CSTO, EU, ICRC, NATO, OSCE, SCO and the UN (UNODC, UNDP and UNHCR).

The aim of the seminar is to advance dialogue and facilitate active exchanges of information, views and networking on issues related to, and likely to affect, stability and sustainable development in Central Asia.

Representatives and experts from state structures, regional institutes of strategic studies, international and regional organizations, academic circles and think tanks are reviewing the role and influence of multilateral organizations in regional processes.  They are also discussing and analyzing threats to security in Central Asia, including current dynamics in Afghanistan, their impact on Central Asia, and other political, social and economic factors of instability in the region.