On June 14, Astana hosted the 7th Central Asian Expert Forum “Central Asia: The Gravity of Trust”, organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS).

The Forum was attended by heads, experts, and specialists of strategic institutes, research institutions, and foreign policy agencies of Central Asian states.

The Uzbek side was represented by the leadership and experts of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the International Institute for Central Asia.

The parties discussed the results of the first five years of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia mechanism and the priorities of the new stage of regional cooperation.

As part of the panel session on launching a new cycle of regional cooperation, ISRS First Deputy Director Akramjon Nematov noted that the meeting was in high demand. It is being held on the eve of the next Consultative Meeting, which will launch a new cycle of regional cooperation.

As the ISRS representative emphasized, regional cooperation has developed progressively, acquiring a systemic and continuous character. Central Asia is much more united and resilient to the challenges of modern times than ever before.

It was noted that due to its stability and sustainability, Central Asia is becoming a center of attraction for investments and a point of concentration of economic and diplomatic activity.

According to Akramjon Nematov, using competitive advantages and complementarity of economies, the countries of the region are developing industrial cooperation, using their powerful resource and raw material potential and human capital.

As a result, Central Asia is entering an industrial-technological mode of economy, transforming into a capacious interconnected market and an essential link in the international value chain.

According to the expert, “Against the background of the observed geopolitical uncertainty and volatility in the world, our region acts as an anchor of stability and sustainability”.

At the same time, “positive dynamics in Central Asia, coupled with proximity to the centers of geopolitical activity, increases the geostrategic importance of the region”, the ISRS representative believes.

He states, “The interest of external factors in cooperation with Central Asia is noticeably increasing. Despite all the difficulties, the region’s countries maintain healthy competition here”.

Akramjon Nematov said all this became possible because the region’s countries keep Central Asia open, pursuing a balanced foreign policy based on regional stability and development interests. As the President of Uzbekistan noted at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, “this is the most important condition ensuring security and sustainable development of the region”.