Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the sixth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, which took place in Astana on 9 August.

The event, chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kaha Imnadze as guests of honor.

According to the agenda, issues of further enhancing multifaceted cooperation in the region were discussed, including the development of political dialogue, promotion of joint programs and projects in trade, investment, transport, energy, agriculture, and ecology, intensification of cultural and humanitarian exchange, and response to modern challenges and threats.

In his speech, the President of Uzbekistan highly appreciated the joint efforts to strengthen unity and cohesion and expand multifaceted cooperation in the region.

“Our open and fruitful dialogue, important initiatives put forward, multilateral projects and programs launched, a large number of joint events held, and much more have radically changed the appearance and image of the region”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

It was emphasized that the countries of the region began to interact effectively and resolve pressing issues. The volumes of mutual trade, investment, cargo transportation, and citizen travel have increased several times. Interest in the region from foreign countries has noticeably increased, as evidenced by various meetings in the Central Asia Plus format.

“Today, we can already confidently talk about the beginning of the formation of a common regional identity”, the President of Uzbekistan said.

The Head of state supported his colleagues’ proposals to launch mechanisms and institutions for regional cooperation, including meetings of national coordinators, sectoral ministries, and agencies. He noted the importance of practical tools for implementing decisions and promoting joint projects at this stage.

“The time has come to jointly consider issues of further improving our format of the Consultative Meeting to deepen regional integration and fill the agenda of long-term partnership”, the Leader of Uzbekistan said.

For these purposes, it was proposed to hold the next meeting of the Central Asian Expert Forum in Uzbekistan to develop conceptual recommendations and proposals on these issues.

Touching upon the current situation in the world, the President of Uzbekistan noted that Central Asia, due to its geopolitical position, is fully experiencing all the negative consequences of the global crisis of confidence and the escalation of conflicts.

Traditional trade and transport chains have been disrupted, the region’s countries have become hostages of sanctions policy, logistics costs have increased significantly, inflationary pressure is growing, opportunities in the global capital market are shrinking, protectionism is increasing, and new barriers are emerging. 

In addition, issues related to the development of the situation in Afghanistan have been relegated to the background of the international agenda.

It was emphasized that the well-being of the Central Asian countries largely depends on joint efforts and willingness to cooperate closely, take decisive measures, and jointly promote the region’s interests. In this regard, it was proposed to develop a strategic document – the Concept of Ensuring Regional Security and Stability.

Based on the analysis of global processes’ impact on Central Asia’s sustainable development, the President of Uzbekistan outlined several priority areas for practical regional interaction.

First, the need for new drivers and a model for the long-term development of economic partnership was noted.

“Our countries are natural trading partners, and national economies complement each other”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

At the same time, intraregional trade today accounts for an insignificant share of our countries’ total trade turnover. There are still barriers to the formation of a full-fledged free trade zone in the region.

It was noted that, according to the analysis, the adoption of priority measures will ensure a twofold increase in mutual trade volumes in the next five years.

Among them are the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers, mutual recognition of certificates of conformity and unification of regulations, digitalization of customs operations and phytosanitary procedures, and consideration of the possibility of mutual facilitation of access to public procurement.

At the same time, the strategic goal should be the formation of a Single Regional Market in the long term.

To consider all these issues, the President of Uzbekistan proposed launching an Economic Council, which would hold regular meetings at the level of deputy prime ministers.

Uzbekistan is ready to host the first meeting next year and, within its framework, hold the Central Asian Business Partnership Week, with the organization of the Forum of Regions and industry conferences, an exhibition-fair of industrial potential, and presentations of export opportunities.

Special attention was paid to issues of stimulating industrial cooperation. There are already successful examples in this area, particularly in special zones of cross-border cooperation, such as projects for producing modern cars, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and textile clusters, logistics centers, and infrastructure facilities.

“By joining forces, we will be able to form a Unified Map of Industrialization of the Region with the creation of short value chains, attract investments and technologies from leading international companies, and introduce new forms of cooperation”, the Head of state noted.

In this direction, it was proposed to establish a Council at the ministerial level and prepare a policy document.

The issues of establishing the Central Asian Investment Council and the Innovative Development Bank, as well as regularly holding joint investment forums, were also identified as promising.

Another priority area of cooperation is the development of an intraregional transport and communications network. Attention was drawn to the fact that due to the region’s geographical features, the cost of transporting foreign trade cargo reaches 50 percent of the final cost of goods, which is four to five times higher than the world average.

In this regard, a systematic approach is required to forming and implementing a coordinated tariff policy, applying benefits and preferences to support national carriers, modernizing the transport network and infrastructure, increasing the capacity of border checkpoints, and digitalizing the transport sector.

The need for coordinated work in food security was emphasized. According to FAO experts, Central Asian countries can not only meet their needs for primary food products, but also take a strong position in the international market.

To this end, the Leader of Uzbekistan noted the importance of introducing innovative methods of agricultural production and water-saving technologies, increasing yields, developing deep processing, strengthening scientific work in selection, and creating clusters and smart farms. 

To develop a regional strategy in this area, it was proposed to hold a meeting of the region’s agriculture ministers on the sidelines of the International Forum on Ensuring Food Security for Landlocked Countries, which will be held in Tashkent this September. 

The President of Uzbekistan paid particular attention to the problems of climate change. According to him, rising temperatures, melting glaciers, floods, droughts, dust storms, and many other challenges continue to cause severe damage to the region’s countries.

“During the upcoming Climate Summit in Azerbaijan in November this year, our countries could speak from a single position. We are talking about holding a joint presentation of the environmental situation in the region to attract the attention of the international community, funds, and donor organizations to solve these pressing problems, including the Aral catastrophe”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

It was also proposed to develop and adopt a comprehensive Program for Sustainable Development of Central Asia and a Regional Strategy for the Rational Use of Water Resources of Transboundary Rivers.

Partnership in the energy sector is a key area of interaction between the region’s countries. Today, several strategic projects are being developed on a regional scale to increase electricity generation and export to third countries.

In addition, there are plans to develop nuclear energy and increase hydrocarbon supplies.

The President of Uzbekistan highly appreciated and expressed comprehensive support for fruitful exchanges between the parliaments of the region’s countries. In this regard, he proposed holding the next Inter-Parliamentary Forum next month in the city of Khiva. 

Touching upon the issues of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, the President of Uzbekistan noted that “considering the common cultural and historical heritage, more attention should be paid to developing a sense of belonging, cohesion, and awareness of common responsibility for the future of the region among the population”.

An essential practical step in this direction will be the early launch of the International Media Platform “History and Culture of Central Asia: One Past and Common Future”.

A scientific forum dedicated to the practical aspects of forming a regional identity was proposed to strengthen mutual understanding and cohesion among the region’s peoples. 

It was emphasized that regularly holding a Regional Youth Competition of Innovative Ideas and Projects would promote the “Youth Agenda of Central Asia 2030” and involve the younger generation in cooperation programs.

The President of Uzbekistan has proposed several initiatives to develop cooperation in education. The importance of adopting the Central Asian Program of Educational and Academic Exchanges, developing an Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Diplomas of Leading Universities, and collaboratively allocating scholarships for gifted students was noted.

The First Educational Forum of Central Asia is planned for October in Tashkent for a substantive discussion of these issues.

The tourism sector has been designated as a new driver of regional partnership. To expand tourism exchange, studying the mutual recognition of national ID cards and developing mass tourism products based on the principle of “one tour – the whole region” was proposed.

In conclusion, the President of Uzbekistan supported the adoption of the Regional Interaction Development Concept 2040 and also proposed preparing a Multilateral Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in Central Asia.

The Leader of Uzbekistan expressed confidence that the fruitful results of the current meeting will further strengthen friendship and good neighborliness in Central Asia and expand practical interaction for the benefit of the region’s people. 

The President also invited his colleagues to Uzbekistan to participate next year in the seventh Summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia.