EUSR`s Opening Remarks during the second day of the Fergana Peace Forum

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Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed guests

It is my pleasure to be here in front of you again. Yesterday was an extremely productive day, and I am pleased to see that the Ferghana Peace Forum has already become a place where there is a strong commitment to working together to support peace.

To build upon the foundations we have already established, it is crucial that we harness our most powerful tool– constructive dialogue.

High-level dialogue and proposed policy frameworks to foster better neighbourly relations are both timely and necessary for achieving a stable and peaceful Fergana valley region.

Yet, it is crucial that besides dialogue, there is action. In this regard the work of civil society in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is invaluable. Grassroots action is a tangible and often highly effective means of building and sustaining peace.

It is the civilians, the inhabitants of the region who know their situation better than anyone. I see their active involvement and interaction as drivers of intraregional stability.

What is more, NGO involvement facilitates the participation of groups often underrepresented in formal peace processes. Our communities are shaped by the people that form them, and we cannot afford to exclude any voices in the effort of building lasting peace in the region.

Therefore, I gladly welcome the involvement of both youth and women’s activists in these tables. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. Including youth in these historical processes strengthens their commitment to peace.

They forge the Fergana of tomorrow. Their participation as members of the regional civil society adds a layer of permanence to what has been achieved thus far.

The same goes for women – we know that peace processes with female mediators are more likely to lead to a lasting and just peace than those where women are excluded. Women of the Fergana valley hold great power.

By working together on multiple platforms, they not only promote peaceful neighbourhood relations but also enhance the region’s human capital through shared knowledge and skills.

My message for today is that peace is not only a top-down process.

The down-up direction dictated by local communities is the key to make today’s peace a lasting one.

I am very much looking forward to hearing about the work that has already been done on the ground, and where the road might take you next.

I wish you all a thought-provoking day.

Thank you.