Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 18 October 2022, the first expert forum "Russia - Central Asia: an agenda for joint development" was held in Astana. The forum was devoted to the problems and prospects of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia (CA) and Russia in a wide range of areas.

The event was organized by the National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations named after E.M. Primakov of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAS) and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KISI).

The panel discussions discussed the main areas of cooperation between Russia and the countries of Central Asia: the economy, regional security, human capital development, interaction in the information field. The participants were the heads and leading specialists of key institutions in Russia and the countries of Central Asia, among them: IMEMO RAS (Russia), KazISS (Kazakhstan), Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS), International Institute of Central Asia (ICA, Uzbekistan) , Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (CSR), National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic (NISI KR), etc.

“Today’s expert forum seems to me to be an important event for an open and constructive discussion of priority areas of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Russia,” said Aigul Kuspan, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At the opening of the event, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation Yermek Kosherbayev also spoke, who noted the deep and complex nature of relations between the countries of Central Asia and the Russian Federation:

"For all the countries of the region, Russia is a strategic ally and the largest trade and economic partner."

According to Alexei Borodavkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Kazakhstan, our countries face common national security challenges and the most vulnerable category is young people:

“It is extremely important that our youth, under the influence of false values, confrontational provocations and brainwashing by our ill-wishers, does not take the path of undermining the foundations of the state and friendly relations between our countries.”

Director of IMEMO RAS Fedor Voitolovsky emphasized that in the changing international political conditions, constant contacts between countries are extremely important not only at the official, but also at the scientific and expert level:

“We must understand that the changes taking place in the modern world, in terms of their dynamics and consequences, are only at the beginning of the road. We see the beginning of a profound change in the economic and political landscape - there has been a break in economic interdependence between Russia and the EU, there are trends towards technological and economic demarcation, as well as towards a military-political confrontation between the US and China. The tectonics of world politics that has set in motion will have an impact on the development of the countries of Central Asia and the system of their relations with Russia.”

Director of KazISS Yerkin Tukumov also stressed the importance of the region and the need for a constant dialogue in the field of security:

“One of the most important key trends shows us a new sustainable trend: 60 percent of the world’s population is Asia. And given the possible coverage of the Earth in 10 billion by 2100, the majority of the population will remain Asian. Our countries of Central Asia and Russia are included in this system of coordinates. Therefore, when we talk about building an effective regional security system, we cannot think in isolation from the pan-Asian security system.”

Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Khayriddin Usmonzoda noted that the development of economic cooperation meets the national interests of Russia and the countries of Central Asia:

“The advantage of the countries of Central Asia is that, due to the high demand of the growing economy of the South Asian countries for energy and fossil sources, we can meet these needs not only with our own resources, but also through the supply of Russian minerals. Inclusion in these processes can gradually contribute not only to deep economic recovery, but also to the political stability of the Central Asian countries.”

Director of the International Institute of Central Asia (Uzbekistan) Anvar Nasirov called for deepening cooperation in key areas:

“The topic of strengthening cooperation in the “Central Asia-Russia” format is extremely relevant and requires active involvement and bolder proposals from the expert community. It is important that the process of rapprochement is not directed against anyone’s interests and aims to deepen regional cooperation. Today, the equal and mutually beneficial partnership between our countries continues to develop rapidly in almost all areas of mutual interest. At the same time, we have untapped potential. I am sure that the results of today’s forum will give us the opportunity to comprehensively and objectively analyze the current state and prospects of our cooperation.”

Ermek Checheybaev, Deputy Head of the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, urged to look for new formats of cooperation:

“Current events force us to look for new forms of relationships in all spheres of people’s lives. Kyrgyzstan is actively involved in building a new format of partnership with the Russian regions within the framework of the interaction of peoples belonging to the same civilization. We invite other states of Central Asia, whose peoples have a common civilizational relationship, to join these programs, which include scientific research, the implementation of educational and cultural projects aimed at strengthening the humanitarian ties of the peoples inhabiting the territory of Eurasia.”

On the sidelines of the Forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the IMEMO RAS named after V.I. EAT. Primakov and KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The format of expert meetings "Central Asia - Russia" at the suggestion of the Director of KazISS E. Tukumov is planned to be made annual in conjunction with the summit with the participation of heads of state. The participants of the event unanimously confirmed the demand for dialogue between the civil societies of Russia and the countries of the Central Asian region, especially on the second track.