On October 15, 2025, during the first day of the Astana Think Tank Forum, Zhandos Shaimardanov, Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held a meeting with leading Central Asian experts to discuss the planned publication of the monograph “Central Asia at a Crossroads” by KazISS.
The discussion involved heads of leading Central Asian think tanks and representatives of the diplomatic corps, including: Khairiddin Usmonzoda, Director of the Strategic Research Center under the President of Tajikistan, Javlon Vakhabov, Director of the International Institute of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Batyr Redjepov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan, Shumkarbek Adilbekuulu, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives under the President of Kyrgyzstan, and Bakhtiyor Mustafayev, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan.
Participants discussed key political and economic trends in the region, issues of regional identity, country consolidation, and opportunities for further growth. Experts noted that Central Asia is strengthening its own agency, actively employing a multi-vector foreign policy, and becoming an independent hub attracting the interests of major world powers.
“Processes of regional consolidation are intensifying, especially within the ‘C5+1’ format involving Russia, China, the United States, the European Union, and the Gulf countries. This demonstrates that the countries of the region are increasingly using a multi-vector strategy to conduct diplomacy and balance external influence,” said Zhandos Shaimardanov.
The KazISS Director also noted that the regional economy continues to grow due to raw material exports, the development of transport and logistics routes, and the increasing role of transit corridors. At the same time, challenges remain, including dependence on external markets, environmental risks, transnational crime, and cyber threats.
Sanat Kushkumbayev, Chief Research Fellow at KazISS, emphasized that Central Asia is entering a phase of strategic self-determination – balancing the need for internal modernization with maintaining external equilibrium amid increasing geopolitical pressure.
“In this context, the idea arose to prepare a monograph dedicated to Central Asia, current regional development trends, and opportunities for growth,” summarized S. Kushkumbayev.
KazISS plans to publish the book next year. The meeting provided a platform for exchanging expert opinions on the structure and content of the upcoming monograph.
