The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan outlined a number of priority areas for practical regional cooperation

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the sixth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, which took place on August 9 in Astana, the press service of the head of our state reports.

The event, chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kakha Imnadze as guests of honor.

According to the agenda, issues of further expanding multifaceted cooperation in the region were discussed, including the development of political dialogue, promotion of joint programs and projects in the areas of trade, investment, transport, energy, agriculture and ecology, intensification of cultural and humanitarian exchange, as well as response to modern challenges and threats.

In his speech, the head of Uzbekistan highly appreciated the common efforts to strengthen unity and cohesion, expand multifaceted cooperation in the region.

– Our open and fruitful dialogue, important initiatives put forward, multilateral projects and programs launched, a large number of joint events held and much more have radically changed the appearance and image of the region, – noted Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It was emphasized that the countries of the region began to effectively interact and resolve pressing issues. The volumes of mutual trade, investment, cargo transportation, and travel of citizens have increased several times. Interest in the region from foreign countries has noticeably increased, as evidenced by various meetings in the ‘‘Central Asia Plus’’ format.

– Today we can already confidently talk about the beginning of the formation of a common regional identity, – said the President of Uzbekistan.

The head of state supported the proposals of his colleagues to launch mechanisms and institutions for regional interaction, including meetings of national coordinators, industry ministries and departments. He noted the importance at this stage of effective tools for implementing decisions and promoting joint projects.

– The time has come to jointly consider issues of further improving our format of the Consultative Meeting to deepen regional integration and fill the agenda of long-term partnership, – said the leader of Uzbekistan.

For these purposes, it was proposed to hold the next meeting of the Central Asian Expert Forum in our country to develop conceptual recommendations and proposals on these issues.

Touching upon the current situation in the world, the President of Uzbekistan noted that Central Asia, due to its geopolitical position, is fully experiencing all the negative consequences of the global crisis of confidence and the escalation of conflicts.

Traditional trade and transport chains have been disrupted, the countries of the region have become hostages of the sanctions policy, logistics costs have increased significantly, inflationary pressure is growing, opportunities in the global capital market are shrinking, protectionism is increasing and new barriers are emerging.

In addition, issues related to the development of the situation in Afghanistan have faded into the background of the international agenda.

It was emphasized that the well-being of the Central Asian countries largely depends on common efforts and readiness to closely cooperate, take decisive measures and jointly promote the interests of the region. In this regard, it was proposed to develop a strategic document – the Concept of Ensuring Regional Security and Stability.

Based on the analysis of the impact of global processes on the sustainable development of Central Asia, the President of Uzbekistan outlined a number of priority areas for practical regional cooperation.

First of all, the need for new drivers and a model for the development of economic partnership in the long term was noted.

– Our countries are natural trading partners, and national economies complement each other, – Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

At the same time, today intraregional trade accounts for an insignificant share of the total trade turnover of our countries. There are still barriers to the formation of a full-fledged free trade zone in the region.

It was noted that, according to the analysis, the adoption of priority measures will ensure a twofold increase in mutual trade volumes in the next five years.

Among them are the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers, mutual recognition of certificates of conformity and unification of regulations, digitalization of customs operations and phytosanitary procedures, consideration of the possibility of mutual facilitation of access to public procurement.

At the same time, the strategic goal should be the formation of a Single Regional Market in the long term.

To consider all these issues, the head of our state proposed launching an Economic Council – regular meetings at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers.

Uzbekistan is ready to host the first such meeting next year and, within its framework, hold the Central Asian Business Partnership Week, with the organization of the Forum of Regions and industry conferences, an exhibition-fair of industrial potential, and presentations of export opportunities.

Special attention is paid to the issues of stimulating industrial cooperation. There are already successful examples in this area, in particular special zones of cross-border cooperation, projects for the production of modern cars, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and textile clusters, logistics centers and infrastructure facilities.

– By joining forces, we will be able to form a Unified Map of Industrialization of the Region with the creation of short value chains, attract investments and technologies from leading international companies, and introduce new forms of cooperation, – noted the head of our state.

In this area, it was proposed to establish a Council at the ministerial level and prepare a policy document.

The issues of establishing the Central Asian Investment Council, the Bank for Innovative Development, as well as regularly holding joint investment forums were also identified as promising.

The development of an intraregional transport and communications network was noted as another priority area of ​​cooperation. Attention was drawn to the fact that due to the geographical features of the region, the share of costs for transporting foreign trade cargo reaches 50 percent of the final cost of goods, which is four to five times higher than the world average.

In this regard, a systematic approach is required to the issues of forming and implementing a coordinated tariff policy, applying benefits and preferences to support national carriers, modernizing the transport network and infrastructure, increasing the capacity of border checkpoints, and digitalizing the transport sector.

The need for coordinated work in the field of food security was emphasized. According to experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the countries of Central Asia can not only meet their needs for basic food products, but also take a strong position in the international market.

For this, the leader of Uzbekistan noted the importance of introducing innovative methods of agricultural production, water-saving technologies, increasing crop yields, developing deep processing, strengthening scientific work in the field of selection, creating clusters and ‘‘smart’’ farms.

In order to develop a Regional Strategy in this area, it was proposed to hold a meeting of the region’s agriculture ministers on the sidelines of the International Forum on Ensuring Food Security for Landlocked Countries, which will be held in September this year in Tashkent.

The head of our state paid special attention to the problems of climate change. According to him, rising temperatures, melting glaciers, floods, droughts, dust storms and many other challenges continue to cause serious damage to the countries of the region.

– During the upcoming Climate Summit in Azerbaijan in November this year, our countries could speak from a single position. We are talking about holding a joint presentation of the environmental situation in the region to attract the attention of the international community, funds and donor organizations to solving these pressing problems, including the Aral catastrophe, – Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

It was also proposed to develop and adopt a comprehensive Program for Sustainable Development of Central Asia and a Regional Strategy for the Rational Use of Water Resources of Transboundary Rivers.

Partnership in the energy sector is indicated as a key area of ​​interaction between the countries of the region. Today, a number of strategic projects are being developed on a regional scale to increase electricity generation and export it to third countries.

In addition, there are plans to develop nuclear energy and increase hydrocarbon supplies.

The President of Uzbekistan highly appreciated and expressed comprehensive support for the development of fruitful exchanges between the parliaments of the countries of the region. In this regard, he proposed holding the next Inter-Parliamentary Forum next month in the city of Khiva.

Touching upon issues of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, the head of our state noted that ‘‘given the common cultural and historical heritage, more attention should be paid to developing a sense of belonging, cohesion, and awareness of common responsibility for the future of the region among the population’’.

An important practical step in this direction will be the early launch of the International Media Platform ‘‘History and Culture of Central Asia: One Past and Common Future’’.

In order to further strengthen mutual understanding and cohesion of the peoples of the region, it was proposed to hold a Scientific Forum dedicated to the practical aspects of forming a regional identity.

It was emphasized that regular holding of the Regional Youth Competition of Innovative Ideas and Projects would promote the ‘‘Youth Agenda of Central Asia – 2030’’ and involve the younger generation in cooperation programs.

The President of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives for developing cooperation in the field of education. The importance of adopting the Central Asian Program of Educational and Academic Exchanges, developing an Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Diplomas of Leading Universities, and allocating scholarships for gifted students on a reciprocal basis was noted.

The First Educational Forum of Central Asia is planned for a substantive discussion of these issues in October in Tashkent.

The tourism sector was designated as a new driver of regional partnership. In order to expand tourism exchange, it was proposed to study the issue of mutual recognition of national ID cards and develop mass tourism products based on the principle of ‘‘one tour – the whole region’’.

In conclusion of his speech, the President of our country supported the adoption of the Concept for the Development of Regional Cooperation for the Period up to 2040, and also proposed preparing a multilateral Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in Central Asia.

The head of Uzbekistan expressed confidence that the fruitful results of the current meeting will serve to further strengthen friendship and good-neighborliness in Central Asia, expand practical cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the region.

The President also invited his colleagues to Uzbekistan to participate in the seventh Summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia next year.