On September 18, under the auspices of the International Institute of Central Asia (Uzbekistan), an international round table themed “The Fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia: Stability, Security and Sustainable Development” was held. The event was attended by representatives of governmental and independent think tanks and research structures of the countries of the region and Russia.
The participants of the roundtable discussed the results of the fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Dushanbe and its significance for further development of the region. According to experts, this meeting once again confirmed the strong commitment of the Central Asian states to expand and deepen multilateral cooperation to ensure peace and sustainable development in the region.
Within the framework of the round table speakers shared their points on the priority tasks of political and economic development of the region, including building up trade and economic ties and strengthening transport interconnectivity in the region. The results of the summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea were reviewed, and specific proposals on the actual agenda of interaction between the countries of the region in this area were discussed.
In his speech, Askar Nursha, Deputy Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, noted the need to expand regional cooperation: “There are objective internal and external conditions that push the countries of the region towards each other. Therefore, the support of regular dialogue at the highest level promotes trust and the search for mutually acceptable solutions to the whole range of issues”. He also urged to take seriously the existing challenges and risks, and jointly direct efforts to prevent and neutralize them.
According to the speaker, the countries of the region today have a real opportunity to develop cooperative ties. In this context, it is appropriate to cite the assessment of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, expressed in his speech at the Fifth Consultative Meeting: “The next decade will be decisive for our region, and it depends only on us how effectively we will use this historic chance. The priority task in this regard is to maximize the use of our economic opportunities, our potential”.
