President Shavkat Mirziyoyev: The well-being of the Central Asian countries largely depends on common efforts and willingness to cooperate closelyCentral Asia, due to its geopolitical position, is fully experiencing all the negative consequences of the global crisis of confidence and escalation of conflicts, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed during his speech at the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.
“Traditional trade and transport chains have been disrupted. We have become hostages of the sanctions policy, logistics costs have increased significantly, and inflationary pressure is growing. Opportunities in the global capital market are shrinking, protectionism is increasing and new barriers are emerging,” he said.
At the same time, it was emphasized that the well-being of the Central Asian countries largely depends on common efforts and willingness to cooperate closely. In this regard, it is proposed to develop the Concept of ensuring regional security and stability.
Based on the analysis of the impact of global processes on the sustainable development of Central Asia, the President of Uzbekistan outlined a number of priority areas for practical regional cooperation.
First of all, the need for new drivers and models for the development of economic partnership in the long term was highlighted. Today, intraregional trade accounts for a small share of the total trade turnover of Central Asian countries. There are still barriers to the formation of a full-fledged free trade zone in the region.
According to Mirziyoyev, the adoption of priority measures will ensure a twofold increase in the volume of mutual trade in the next five years.
They include 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, consideration of the possibility of mutual facilitation of access to public procurement.
President of Uzbekistan proposed formation of a single regional market in the long term, the launch of an Economic Council, and regular meetings at the level of deputy Prime ministers.
Uzbekistan is ready to host the first such meeting next year and within its framework to hold a Week of Business partnership in Central Asia, with the organization of a Forum of regions and industry conferences, an exhibition-fair of industrial potential, presentations of export opportunities.
Mirziyoyev also focused on the issues of stimulating industrial cooperation.
“By joining forces, we will be able to form a single map of the region’s industrialization with the creation of short value chains, attract investments and technologies from leading international companies, and introduce new forms of cooperation,” the head of Uzbekistan noted. In this regard, it is proposed to establish a Council at the ministerial level and prepare a policy document.
The establishment of the Central Asian Investment Council, the Bank for Innovative Development, as well as the regular holding of joint investment forums are also promising.
President of Uzbekistan called for prioritizing an intraregional transport and communication cooperation. Due to the geographical features of the region, the share of costs for the transportation of foreign trade goods reaches 50 percent of the final cost of goods, that is four to five times higher than the global average, he said.
In this regard, a systematic approach is required to form a coordinated tariff policy, apply benefits and preferences to support national carriers, modernize the transport network and infrastructure, increase the capacity of border crossings, and digitalize the transport sector.
The imperative for coordinated efforts in food security has been emphasized. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Central Asian nations possess the capacity to fulfill domestic food requirements and establish a robust presence in international markets.
To formulate a regional food security strategy, it has been proposed to convene a gathering of agricultural ministers on the sidelines of the International Forum on Ensuring Food Security of Landlocked Countries, scheduled for Tashkent this September.
Mirziyoyev emphasized the pressing issue of climate change, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to rising temperatures, glacial melt, floods, droughts, dust storms, and other environmental challenges.
“At the upcoming Climate Summit in Azerbaijan this November, our nations should present a unified front,” he stated. “A joint presentation of the region’s environmental crisis is essential to garnering global attention, securing support from international organizations and donor agencies, and addressing critical issues such as the Aral Sea disaster.”
Additionally, the development and adoption of a comprehensive Central Asia sustainable development program and a regional strategy for the efficient management of transboundary water resources were proposed.
Partnership in the energy sector is a key area of cooperation between the countries of the region. Today, a number of strategic projects are being worked out on a regional scale to increase electricity generation and export it to third countries.
In addition, there are plans to develop nuclear energy and increase the supply of hydrocarbons.
The President of Uzbekistan highly appreciated and expressed full support for the development of fruitful exchanges between the parliaments of the countries of the region. In this regard, he proposed to hold the next Interparliamentary Forum next month in the city of Khiva.
Addressing humanitarian cooperation, Mirziyoyev proposed a scientific forum focused on practical aspects of regional identity formation. A crucial step toward this goal is the swift launch of the International Media Platform “History and Culture of Central Asia: One Past and a Common Future.”
Regularly hosting the Regional Youth Competition of Innovative Ideas and Projects will significantly advance the “Youth Agenda of Central Asia – 2030” and encourage greater youth involvement in cooperative endeavors.
Several initiatives to enhance educational cooperation were presented. The importance of adopting a Central Asian Program of Educational and Academic Exchanges, establishing a mutual diploma recognition agreement for leading universities, and implementing reciprocal scholarships for gifted students was highlighted.
To delve deeper into these matters, the First Central Asian Educational Forum is slated for October in Tashkent.
The tourism sector has been identified as a new driver of regional partnership. In order to expand tourist exchange, it was proposed to study the issue of mutual recognition of national ID cards and develop mass tourism products based on the principle of “one tour – the whole region”.
At the end of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan supports the adoption of the Concept for the Development of Regional Cooperation for the period up to 2040, and also proposed to prepare a multilateral Agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation in Central Asia.
The President also invited his colleagues to Uzbekistan to participate in the seventh Summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia next year. ///nCa, 9 August 2024