Breakthrough in Central Asian States Cooperation
The Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia , held on September 14 in Dushanbe, has, without exaggeration, historical and from a political point of view symbolic significance, being the fifth in a row, it completes the full cycle of Central Asian summits launched in 2018 on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and supported by all leaders of the states of the region .
The Dushanbe summit was held in an atmosphere of open and trusting dialogue, constructive exchange of views, the leaders of the Central Asian states assessed the results of previous consultative meetings and expressed their firm readiness to continue the joint movement towards the progressive building of a sustainable architecture of regional cooperation.
The main conclusion of the results of the five-party meeting is that the process of regional rapprochement is a fait accompli, has acquired an irreversible character, and has entered a qualitatively new stage of integration development, expressed in the increased desire of the states of the region to formalize and institutionalize multifaceted interaction, giving it consistency and continuity .
The leaders of the Central Asian states expressed a fundamental interest in continuing to comprehensively strengthen interstate cooperation, relations of good neighborliness and mutual trust in Central Asia
Evidence of this was the decision to establish the Council of National Coordinators for the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia , designed to increase the efficiency of interstate interaction.
And this is not without reason. It was thanks to the common political will and joint efforts that the states of the region managed, as the leader of Uzbekistan noted, “to make serious progress in resolving vital issues and fill cooperation between the states of Central Asia with a qualitatively new content.”
In recent years, many barriers that acted as factors of interstate tension have been eliminated , first of all, sensitive border problems between most neighboring countries in the region have been resolved, transport communications have been unblocked , a dialogue is underway on the mutually beneficial use of water and energy resources, and the joint provision of water, energy and food security.
Cooperation ties are being strengthened, joint investment companies have been created, work is underway on the construction of border industrial and trade zones, and interstate projects are being launched in industry, the agricultural sector, automotive industry and energy. A visa-free regime has been introduced, conditions have been created for the free movement of citizens and active cultural and tourist exchanges.
Since 2016, Uzbekistan alone has increased the number of checkpoints with Central Asian states to 78 units, tripled the number of bus flights, and doubled the number of flights. Today, the borders between Uzbekistan and the countries of Central Asia can rightfully be called bridges of friendship and good neighborliness. One example: from September 1 of this year, you can cross the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border with the presentation of an internal document – a general civilian ID card.
Work on trade, economic, transport and energy cooperation has been brought to a new stage. Thus, in 2020-2021, Uzbekistan created joint investment funds and companies with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and in 2022 and 2023 it began the construction of border industrial-trade and industrial zones with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Projects for the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway and the Kambarata hydroelectric power station are being implemented with Kyrgyzstan, with Tajikistan – the Yavan hydroelectric power station on the Zarafshan River, and with Kazakhstan – a multimodal transport and logistics center in Tashkent. These are just some examples, of which there are many in other Central Asian states.
Of course, there are still issues that need to be resolved. But the most important thing is that dialogue is maintained and a firm commitment to finding mutually acceptable compromises.
Today it is important to overcome narrow national egoisms, realize the inextricable connection between the sustainable future of the region and the prospects for its own development and come to mutually beneficial solutions that meet the interests of all parties. And the given inertia of regional cooperation suggests that this is possible. As the President of Kyrgyzstan noted, “we need to find common approaches and join forces to find mutually acceptable solutions. There are no unsolvable problems, we need political will.”
Central Asia – a space of good neighborliness and new opportunities
Today, Central Asia is becoming one of the main centers of interregional connectivity and global production and logistics chains. As the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated at the Dushanbe summit, “ stability and unity are strengthening in Central Asia, it is turning into one of the important centers of economic growth and investment activity, and is once again regaining its historical role as a transport hub connecting the West with the East and the North with the South.”
This assessment is shared by the leaders of other Central Asian states. Thus, according to the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon , “Central Asia is consistently and confidently transforming into an area of mutually beneficial cooperation, into a stable, economically developed and, in the foreseeable future, very prosperous region, into one of the most important centers of the modern world and unique geographical nodes .”
In turn, the leader of Kazakhstan, Kasym – Jomart Tokayev , notes that regional cooperation not only brings tangible mutual benefits, “but also changes the entire configuration of the economy of Central Asia, transforms the region into a space of new economic opportunities in trade, investment, business, science and innovation.”
This is true. This is evidenced by regional development indicators, which demonstrate a steady growth trend. In particular, in the period from 2016 to 2022, the foreign trade turnover of the Central Asian countries doubled, reaching 225 billion. At the same time, trade between the states of the region showed an increase of 2.5 times – from 5.5 to 13.5 billion; its structure and product range are expanding, which significantly stabilizes prices in the domestic markets of the Central Asian states.
Stability and the formation of a capacious market in Central Asia are increasing interest in the region. In particular, over the same period, the share of investments in Central Asia from the total volume in the world increased from 1.6% to 2.8%, increasing to 40 billion in 2022, and in general by 45% since 2016 of the total volume of accumulated investments of 250 billion. Moreover, mutual investments have increased 6 times, and intraregional tourism has almost doubled.
As a result, the total gross product of the countries of the region is growing steadily, which at the end of 2022 grew by 6% and amounted to about $400 billion, which is 40% more than in 2016 and twice the global economic growth dynamics. At the same time, growth forecasts for the coming period vary between 5-6 percent.
Movement towards consolidation is an effective response to the challenges of our time
In general, today the states of Central Asia, even in the face of increasing numerous challenges and threats, aggravated by the growth of geopolitical rivalry and contradictions, crisis phenomena in the global economy, manage to maintain an atmosphere of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation in Central Asia, build relationships with external actors taking into account the interests of regional stability , ensure security and sustainable development in the interests of the peoples of our common Central Asian home.
As the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov succinctly noted , “ joint work, constant dialogue and communication based on mutual respect, taking into account each other’s interests in the spirit of good neighborliness allow us to overcome all obstacles, difficulties, develop and maintain a sense of community and unity of the peoples who have inhabited our vast and a rich region.”
Summing up the results of the first cycle of consultative meetings, we can confidently assert that the past stage of Central Asian cooperation has become a breakthrough in the overall process of regional construction , allowed for the establishment of continuous intra-regional dialogue, developed a sense of community of interests, significantly strengthened mutual trust and created solid ground for the transition of regional cooperation to a qualitatively new stage of development.
And as the results of the summit in Dushanbe showed, the heads of state of Central Asia demonstrate a strong determination to move further in the direction of closer cooperation , have defined their vision and specific priorities for regional cooperation, and are ready to convert challenges into opportunities to form a new sustainable model of regional interaction that can ensure the progressive development of states Central Asia.
Central Asia is a consolidated actor open to cooperation
The consultative meeting once again confirmed the desire of the leaders of the Central Asian states to continue to strengthen political consolidation and general solidarity, to take responsibility jointly and relying on their own strengths to resolve issues on the regional agenda, to show unity in overcoming challenges and threats to regional stability and security, to come up with a coordinated and a unified position in relations with extra-regional actors.
As the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, the international subjectivity of Central Asia as a single entity is today receiving universal recognition. This, in his words, “ is evidenced by the adoption of 8 UN resolutions on important aspects of development and partnership in Central Asia since 2017, as well as the establishment of more than 10 “Central Asia Plus ” formats.”
In this regard, the leader of Uzbekistan called for “to develop common approaches to joint work within these formats at the level of foreign ministers.” “From common or maximally similar positions, demonstrating the solidarity and unity of the states of the region,” the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also called for speaking. In turn, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, emphasizing the importance of the “unity of Central Asia,” pointed out the need to take more active steps towards integration within the region, including developing and offering to partners, including within the framework of the “Central Asia Plus” format, specific proposals for the joint development of Central Asia.
Undoubtedly, strengthening political consolidation, coordination and coherence of actions of the Central Asian states will allow, as the leader of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov noted, to even more effectively “protect and promote the common interests of the region in the world.”
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that the states of Central Asia are showing the region’s openness to cooperation with extra-regional countries, international and regional organizations in ensuring the sustainable development of Central Asia, and also demonstrating their readiness to rely on the norms and principles of international law, to firmly integrate the region into the international community as a responsible subject of international relations . And this is supported by the international community.
This is evidenced by the invitation to the summit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kakha Imnadze, and an address to the participants of the meeting by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The fact that the Central Asian states are determined to enter a new stage of cooperation is evidenced by a large number of specific initiatives put forward during the Consultative Meeting. They not only reflect a common vision of threats and challenges and emerging opportunities, but, in fact, complement and mutually reinforce each other, which certainly creates a good basis for their practical implementation.
Addition of advantages and formation of a new way of economic development
The key imperative for cooperation between the states of Central Asia was identified as issues of economic development and improving the well-being of the peoples of the region.
According to the head of Uzbekistan, “trade and economic cooperation is the main driver of regional partnership and integration ,” the leader of Tajikistan called for achieving a “strategic breakthrough in the economic direction ,” using the full potential of the states of the region for this, the President of Kazakhstan proposed transforming Central Asia into “a space of new economic opportunities.”
The importance of expanding trade and economic relations, increasing the volume of mutual trade turnover, and tapping into large untapped potential was also noted by the heads of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov.
At the same time, along with the issues of developing intraregional trade, the heads of state of Central Asia paid special attention to the development of industrial cooperation in the region . In particular, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to develop and adopt a Strategy for the Development of Industrial Cooperation , while the leader of Kazakhstan – an Action Plan for the Development of Industrial Cooperation, and President Emomali Rahmon took the initiative to develop separate cooperation programs in the fields of agriculture, industry and the active introduction of new technologies .
Another area where similar initiatives were put forward was energy
Thus, the President of Uzbekistan drew attention to the importance of ensuring energy security , which could become a challenge to the long-term sustainable development of the countries of Central Asia. In this regard, he emphasized the need for cooperation in the development of energy infrastructure, diversification of energy sources, attraction of investments and technologies in the field of alternative energy and the production of “green” hydrogen .
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan expressed their readiness, taking into account their hydropower resources, to actively cooperate with the countries of Central Asia in the production of “green” energy.
In turn, the leader of Turkmenistan announced his country’s readiness to help meet intraregional demand for energy resources, to supply its natural gas and electricity to the countries of Central Asia and through their territories to foreign markets on mutually beneficial terms.
In order to make cooperation in this area systematic and effective, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed creating a new form of five-way interaction – Energy Dialogue of Central Asian Countries .
Traditionally, the focus of attention of the leaders of the Central Asian states has been on further increasing the transport and logistics potential of our countries and diversifying transport corridors. At the same time, the meeting participants adopted a Five-Party Agreement on strengthening the interconnectedness of land transport in Central Asia .
However, the heads of state did not limit themselves to this and put forward a number of specific initiatives. Thus, the President of Uzbekistan proposed developing an Agreement on Transport and Transit in Central Asia , forming specific mechanisms for promoting effective transport corridors to enter the markets of China, South Asia and the Middle East, and the European Union using through tariffs that are beneficial for business, and preparing a Program of Liberalization Measures market for transport services, optimization of permitting procedures , and also consider the creation of an integrated digital platform for international transport.
Consonant with the initiative of the leader of Uzbekistan was the proposal of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to consider the possibility of launching a Central Asian transport and logistics platform.
Undoubtedly, all these initiatives are very relevant for the sustainable development of states and indicate a common intention to create a new way of economic development in the region, based on the use of competitive advantages and complementarity of the economies of the Central Asian countries , to form a capacious market in the region and integrate it into global value chains, to transform Central Asia into an important link in interregional interconnectedness.
In this regard, the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan to establish the Economic Council of Central Asia , which could become an effective mechanism for ensuring cooperation and coordinating efforts for the coordinated promotion of economic projects that meet common interests, seems to be in demand.
Taking decisive steps towards overcoming climate challenges
Challenges and threats relevant to the Central Asian states related to the impact of climate change on the environment, water use, and food security were also raised.
All summit participants expressed concern about the consequences of climate change and made similar proposals, indicating full consensus on the need for coordinated cooperation in this area.
In particular, Kyrgyzstan introduced an important initiative to create a Regional Center for the implementation of energy-efficient and resource-saving technologies . It correlates with the Turkmen side’s proposal to establish a Regional Center for Technologies Related to Climate Change .
In turn, the President of Uzbekistan proposed establishing a multilateral platform “Central Asian Dialogue” at the level of ministers of ecology and adopting a Regional Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change .
Moreover, the leader of Uzbekistan announced the holding of the first Samarkand international forum dedicated to the climate agenda in 2023 , and also initiated the joint promotion of a UN General Assembly resolution “Central Asia facing global climate challenges: consolidation for a common future.”
Of course, the Samarkand Forum can become a multilateral platform for a comprehensive discussion of the initiatives of the Central Asian states and the formation of broad support from the international community for regional efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its consequences.
One cannot but welcome the activity of the Central Asian states in the environmental sphere, and all initiatives put forward by the Central Asian countries should be considered as components of regional efforts to overcome climate challenges . This dynamics is very important in the context of preparations for the upcoming Regional Climate Summit in Kazakhstan in 2026 under the auspices of the UN, proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Astana Forum this summer.
Firm commitment to the formation of collective security mechanisms
Evidence of the high level of mutual trust, the formation of collective security mechanisms in the region and the willingness to bear common responsibility for stability in Central Asia was the promotion of specific security initiatives by state leaders . Thus, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan proposed to launch a Dialogue on Security and Cooperation , which found the support of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
The President of Uzbekistan made a proposal to put cooperation in the field of border protection and strengthening the territorial integrity of the Central Asian states, jointly countering common challenges and security threats on a firm basis. In particular, initiatives were put forward to develop an Interstate Program for the Protection and Strengthening of Borders , as well as the formation of a Regional System of Forecasting, Prevention, Early Warning and Joint Response to Emergency Situations.
Taking into account the interest of all Central Asian countries in normalizing the situation in Afghanistan, preventing challenges and threats emanating from its territory, it was proposed to create a Contact Group at the level of special representatives for Afghanistan in order to establish a coordinated dialogue with the Afghan side on issues of border security, water use and trade development.
Sustainable movement towards strengthening a pan-regional identity
The unity of views was also manifested in the desire to form a common regional identity as an important condition for establishing common responsibility and solidarity in increasing the well-being and prosperity of Central Asia.
The leaders of the states in the region proposed a number of initiatives aimed at preserving Central Asia as a unique cultural and civilizational space, strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties designed to give strength and depth to regional cooperation.
In this regard, the Uzbek side initiated the adoption of an Action Plan to deepen cultural and humanitarian interaction between the countries of Central Asia and the creation of an International media platform “History and culture of Central Asia: one past and a common future” , which could be promoted on the basis of the Media Association of the Central Asian States Asia , the creation of which was proposed by the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
Moreover, in order to establish the idea of a common regional identity among young people, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to establish regional scientific and educational grants and scholarships for talented youth of Central Asian countries in honor of Al-Khorezmi, Farabi, Jami, Magtymguly and Chingiz Aitmatov .
In general, the leaders of the Central Asian states are determined to turn youth into the main beneficiary and the driving force behind the formation of a long-term strategy for regional integration, the frame and supporting structure of a common Central Asian home.
The adoption at the summit of the Agreement between the countries of Central Asia on general directions of youth policy was an obvious confirmation of this.
Without a doubt, all of the above and many other specific initiatives form a solid basis for moving forward, building effective interaction mechanisms, and forming a strong Central Asian cooperation architecture .
It becomes obvious that today our countries have already determined the fundamental directions for the development of cooperation. At the same time, they not only formed a common agenda on which cooperation should be deepened and expanded, but have already begun to implement practical measures and projects.
In general, the summit once again confirmed the strong and decisive attitude of the leaders of Central Asia to bear responsibility for the security and sustainable development of our region, to comprehensively deepen and expand regional cooperation in the interests of our peoples, to make every effort to transform Central Asia into a space of peace and cooperation, an important link in interregional interconnectedness and global value chains. And this is a factor in ensuring stability and security in the common Eurasian space.
