ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed Kazakhstan’s strategic orientation towards comprehensively strengthening regional partnership and expanding Central Asia’s role on the global stage during the Sixth Central Asian Summit held on August 9, Akorda reported.
Photo credit: Acorda
“At the national level, we firmly adhere to the formula: 'Central Asia's success is Kazakhstan's success.' I am convinced that the future of the region depends only on dialogue and cooperation based on trust between our two countries, as well as on jointly finding appropriate responses to all domestic and international challenges,” he said.
President Tokayev stressed that the heads of state are making great efforts to develop regional cooperation, including in the form of consultative meetings. During Kazakhstan's chairmanship, several joint events were held to strengthen security, economic cooperation, the role of women in society and exchanges of experts.
Cooperation Roadmap and Central Asia 2040 Strategy
The President highlighted the upcoming approval of the Regional Cooperation Roadmap through 2027 and the Central Asia 2040 Strategy, which aim to improve intergovernmental coordination and develop regional cooperation mechanisms.
President Tokayev noted with satisfaction the fruitful mutual visits that took place over the past year, given the current difficult geopolitical and economic realities, and stressed the high level of regional cooperation based on friendship, good neighborliness and alliance between the two countries.
Tokayev called on the presidents to do everything they can to ensure that Central Asia remains a space of security, cooperation and prosperity. He noted that building a strong economic foundation for multilateral cooperation is also an urgent task.
Emphasis on economic cooperation and transport potential
The President noted the growth in trade volume in the region, which has reached $11 billion, and the goal of increasing it to $15 billion, and highlighted large-scale joint infrastructure projects such as the Kambarata Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP-1) in Kyrgyzstan and the Rogun Hydroelectric Power Plant in Tajikistan, as well as the potential of the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan gas project.
President Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan supports the proposal to establish the Central Asian Business Council and points out the importance of further developing the region's transit and transport potential, as well as adopting a comprehensive strategy for the development of the Central Asian transport system.
Particular emphasis is being placed on projects such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the North-South Corridor and the Belt and Road Initiative, and joint efforts are steadily increasing the potential of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran Railway, the shortest route to the Persian Gulf countries.
“We consider the construction of the Trans-Afghanistan Railway, which will open up access to South Asian markets, to be promising. Kazakhstan is carrying out large-scale domestic works in the transport and transportation sector. By 2030, our country plans to modernize 11,000 kilometers and build more than 5,000 kilometers of new railways,” he noted.
Integrated Water Policy and Water Energy Consortium
President Tokayev also advocated a new integrated water policy that emphasizes fair and equitable water use and proposed the creation of a water and energy consortium for the Central Asian countries. Current issues include digitizing water distribution and accounting, introducing space surveillance technologies, and developing systematic scientific research.
He highlighted Kazakhstan's partnerships with leading universities and inviting young people from Central Asia to study in the country, and called for expanding cooperation in education, culture and human capital development.
Tokayev proposed strengthening cooperation in the information and analytical sphere, including creating joint media products and establishing a regional common television channel and Internet news portal.
President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev also spoke at the meeting.
Following the Conference of Heads of Central Asian Countries, the presidents signed several important documents, including the Joint Statement of Central Asian Leaders summarizing the conference, the “Central Asia 2040” concept for the development of regional cooperation, and the conference's decision to award the Central Asian Leaders' Badge of Honor to Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The joint statement also approved additional documents, such as the Roadmap for the development of regional cooperation from 2025 to 2027 and the Action Plan for Industrial Cooperation among the Central Asian countries for 2025-2027.
In addition, during the consultative meeting, members of the official delegation signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Development of Transport and Logistics Centers in the Central Asian Countries, the Statement of the First Meeting of the Central Asian Energy Ministers and the Astana Statement of the Second Meeting of the Central Asian Transport Ministers.
