The situation developing in Afghanistan influences the whole Central Asian region, Uzbek president Islam Karimov said at the 7th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday.

The SCO brings together Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In Karimov’s opinion, Central Asia, due to its growing significance and a large potential of resources remains in the focus of attention of the world community.

However, these factors attract the attention of destructive forces, too. "The persisting tensions in Afghanistan can serve as an example, and we cannot but be alarmed over the situation in that country," the Uzbek president underlined.

He believes that the Taliban movement had stepped up its actions in the Afghan territory, and that drug production and drug trafficking were on the rise.

"Ways of peace in Afghanistan should be sought not in militarization but de-militarization, and implementation of the projects aimed at resolving the social problems of the population of that country," Karimov noted.

The international community should direct its efforts towards the solution of socio-economic problems in Afghanistan, he said.

The Uzbek president called upon their colleagues to pay special attention to the problems of environmental safety in Central Asia. "I’m sure the decisions made at today’s summit will become a new benchmark in ensuring security and the development of all countries of the region," Karimov said.