ASTANA – The results of the 6th Consultation of Heads of State of Central Asian countries held on August 9 highlight significant progress in cooperation between them, with the countries poised to pursue a more proactive approach in transport, trade and agriculture, Askar Nursha, deputy director of the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies (KazISS), said in an interview with the Zakon.kz news agency.
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“The Astana meeting shows that the Central Asian countries are ready to develop and strengthen this format of exchange and take relations to a new stage, which will be characterized by deepening regional cooperation and building the foundations for the work of coordination bodies, starting from certain areas in which all countries of the region are ready to cooperate,” Nursha told Zakon.kz.
According to him, the consultative conference will play an important role in rebuilding regional relations and fostering a new and closer framework for cooperation.
“In such a vast region as Central Asia, the current level of cooperation and the volume of mutual trade are clearly insufficient. Therefore, strengthening economic relations is an objective, practical and rational interest of the countries of the region. This task automatically entails solving a set of problems related to intra-regional transportation, development of cross-border transport corridors, creating a barrier-free environment for cargo transportation, increasing traffic at border crossings, and resolving water and energy issues,” Nursha said.
Cooperation in agriculture is also an urgent priority, including supplying markets with food, ensuring food security, and increasing the export capacity of our agro-industrial complexes.
Nursha believes that the current breakthrough in cooperation is due to the joint efforts of all Central Asian leaders.
“Since independence, the Central Asian countries have made great strides in the process of nation-building and integration into the global economy. However, participation in the regional process will qualitatively expand the opportunities available to these countries through unified and coordinated efforts. It will strengthen the resilience of their national economies against external crises and global economic challenges,” Nursha said.
“From this perspective, Central Asian cooperation can be seen as an important policy tool for regional countries to navigate and address the challenges of globalization,” he added.
According to Nursha, the agenda for regional exchange has been gradually expanding since the first consultation was held in Astana in 2018.
“Economic ties among regional countries and political dialogue among leaders are becoming closer. The content of discussions is expanding and new areas and topics are being introduced, demonstrating the countries' readiness to work together and find solutions within the framework of the five-party talks,” he said.
“An important indicator of the progress of regional cooperation is the clearer articulation of the issues raised at the previous fifth consultation, held in Dushanbe in September 2023, regarding the institutionalization of the 'five-party' format and the appointment of national coordinators for each country,” Nursha added.
