Following the state visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan on 27 December 2022, an online international conference “Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan: friendship, partnership and alliance” was organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KazISS), the Institute of Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS) and the International Institute for Central Asia.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Y. Konuspayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan B. Aloyev, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Uzbekistan B. Atamkulov, the Director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan E. Tukumov, Director of the Institute of strategic and regional studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan E. Aripov, as well as the Deputy Director of the International Institute for Central Asia F. Kadirov opened the conference with the welcome speeches.
The main topic of discussion was the political dialogue in the context of modern global and regional trends, as well as new strategic prospects for cooperation in economics, transport, energy and water resources.
In particular, Director of KazISS E. Tukumov highlighted the need for a common approach in development and strategic planning for the future: “The common history, culture, geography, which unites us, in one way or another leads us to the establishment of a special relationship with high level of mutual trust. The state visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Uzbekistan on 21-22 December 2022 serves as a foundation to further expand cooperation in all sectors and approach it with strategic foresight. This is important since the intensity of Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan relations in general set the tone for further development of cooperation among the states of the entire Central Asian region”.
Speaking at the conference, E. Aripov, Director of the ISRS, emphasized that the state visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Uzbekistan undoubtedly became a significant historical event. As the expert noted, “It is encouraging that in a year since the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Kazakhstan to sign the Declaration on Allied Relations, we have come to establish allied relations”.
Deputy Director of the International Institute for Central Asia F. Kadirov noted in his speech the high dynamics of Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan relations. Specific economic indicators, including cargo transportation, air travel and passenger traffic demonstrate the growing mutual understanding in the realm of politics. The number of joint ventures has grown six times. The business community has undertaken concrete projects in mechanical engineering, automobile and machinery production.
The international conference highlighted the idea that the key trend of bilateral relations are mutual efforts of productive cooperation in all areas, including political, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and other forms of cooperation. Therefore, think tanks that possess the necessary means of research should make the necessary contribution to further expand the mutually beneficial cooperation in Central Asia.
