Speaking at the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the importance of maintaining high dynamics of development in the Central Asian region in the current complex geopolitical and economic realities.
He outlined a number of urgent tasks, the solution of which will contribute to the further progress of Central Asia.
“Today we are witnessing a dangerous erosion of the fundamental foundations of the system of international relations. In these conditions, the main task remains to preserve peace and stability in our region,” Tokayev said.
In his opinion, overcoming modern challenges and threats is possible only through strengthening political dialogue and confidence-building measures between the regional nations.
The President of Kazakhstan called on his colleagues to focus all efforts to ensure that Central Asia remains a space of security, cooperation and prosperity.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the formation of a solid economic base for multilateral cooperation another urgent task. In recent years, tangible results have been achieved in this direction. The volume of intraregional trade is steadily increasing, reaching $11 billion. Tokayev noted the importance of bringing trade turnover to $ 15 billion in the foreseeable future.
“Joint large-scale infrastructure and transport projects can become new growth points for the economies of our countries. There are already good examples of such mutually beneficial cooperation in the region. We are talking about the Kambarata HPP-1 in Kyrgyzstan, the Rogun HPP in Tajikistan, gas projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the construction of new transport corridors and a number of other important projects. The development of a network of trade, logistics and industrial hubs in the border areas is a priority,” the President of Kazakhstan believes.
At the same time, Tokayev believes that a comprehensive partnership should be strengthened with new agreements in such promising sectors as agriculture, logistics, textile and chemical industries, and construction.
Tokayev said that Kazakhstan supports the proposal to establish a Business Council of Central Asian countries. In his opinion, the further development of the transit and transport potential of the region, as well as the adoption of a Comprehensive strategy for the development of the transport system of Central Asia, is of great importance.
“Such projects as the Trans–Caspian International Transport Route, the North-South corridor, the Belt and Road initiative, in which all Central Asian countries are involved to one degree or another, take special place. Thanks to joint efforts, the potential of the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Iran railway is being consistently increased. Today, this is the shortest route to the Persian Gulf countries,” he said.
Kazakhstan also considers the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway, which opens access to the markets of South Asia, to be promising.
According to Tokayev, another key issue on the regional agenda is the rational use of water and energy resources. The President of Kazakhstan believes that it is necessary to develop a new consolidated water policy based on equal and fair water use, strict fulfillment of mutual obligations.
In this regard, Tokayev proposed to consider initiatives for the joint construction of hydropower facilities and the establishment of a Water and Energy Consortium for the countries of Central Asia.
“The current tasks are the digitalization of water distribution and metering, the introduction of space monitoring technologies, and the establishment of systematic scientific work,” he stressed.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan has consistently advocated the expansion of five-sided cooperation in the field of education, science, culture, and human capital development. Currently, a unified Central Asian higher education space is being formed.
Today, about 9,000 students from the countries of the region study in Kazakhstan.
“Kazakhstan has established a strategic partnership with several dozen recognized universities from the USA, Europe, China, Russia, and South Korea. Branches of foreign educational institutions are consistently opening in many regions of Kazakhstan, and student enrollment is actively underway. The number of research universities is growing, technology parks and engineering centers are opening. We invite young people from the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus to use these opportunities and get a demanded double-degree education at an international level,” the President said.
The Head of Kazakhstan emphasized the need to intensify cooperation in the information and analytical sphere. He suggested instructing governments to start working on the creation of joint media products.
Tokayev stressed Kazakhstan’s unwavering strategic course to strengthen regional partnership in every possible way and enhance the role of Central Asia on the world stage.
“At the national level, we firmly adhere to the formula “A successful Central Asia is a Successful Kazakhstan.” I am convinced that the future of our region depends solely on a trusting dialogue and cooperation between our countries, a joint search for addressing all internal and external challenges,” the President of Kazakhstan concluded. ///nCa, 9 August 2024