COMMUNIQUÉ
of the First Meeting of the Fergana Peace Forum

On 15–16 October 2025, the first meeting of the Fergana Peace Forum (hereinafter – the Fergana Forum) was held in the city of Fergana, Republic of Uzbekistan, under the title “The Fergana Valley: Uniting Efforts for Peace and Progress.”

The event brought together experts from leading think tanks of the CA, CIS countries, Asia, Europe and the Americas, representatives of civil society, the business community, academia, and youth activists from the states of Central Asia.

The dialogue was attended by senior representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the European Commission, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as the UN Resident Coordinators in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

International institutions involved in peacebuilding also took part in the event. These included the Berghof Foundation (Germany), the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation (Finland), the PeaceNexus Foundation (Switzerland), the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Acted, DVV International, Saferworld, Search for Common Ground, and the International Water Management Institute.

Under the auspices of the Forum, a special initiative called “Yntymak Day” (Unity) was organized in partnership with the Kyrgyz side. It was aimed at consolidating the efforts of state bodies, civil institutions, and international organizations to strengthen public unity and harmony among peoples.

The Fergana Forum was established as a permanent platform to promote dialogue and mutual trust, to ensure the joint achievement of sustainable development in the Fergana Valley, and to contribute to the formation of a new political climate in Central Asia based on the principles of friendship, good-neighbourliness, and partnership.

In a friendly and constructive atmosphere, the participants of the Fergana Forum discussed a broad range of issues related to strengthening peace, security and stability, ensuring sustainable economic growth, enhancing the role of civil society and the private sector, and deepening interconnectivity among the countries of the region in industry, transport, energy, agriculture, and tourism.

The participants of the Fergana Forum:

underscored that the constructive processes in the Fergana Valley reflect the strengthened cohesion and growing interaction among the countries of the region, embodying the unity of all Central Asian peoples;

highly appreciated the contribution of the Heads of State of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to strengthening good-neighbourliness, the peaceful settlement of contentious issues, and the promotion integration initiatives. The political will of the three countries' leaders has become a decisive factor in reaching agreements aimed at forming a unified space of peace, security, sustainable development, and friendship among peoples in Central Asia;

emphasized the historical significance of resolving border issues and signing the Khujand Declaration of Eternal Friendship and the Treaty on the Junction Point of the State Borders of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The adoption of these documents marks a new milestone in the relations between the three states, drawing a line under the period of unresolved conflicts and closed borders, and opening a new chapter of good-neighborliness and partnership;

noted that the multifaceted relations between the states of the region are of a strategic and comprehensive nature. The countries are bound by ties of partnership and alliance, requiring continuous and multi-level dialogue among states and governments, parliaments, regions, and civil society;

stated that the elimination of border and administrative barriers, the simplification of border crossing regimes, and the creation of favorable conditions for cross-border trade, logistics, and labor migration will contribute to the revitalization of business activity, the expansion of employment, and sustainable economic growth;

asserted that the peoples of the Fergana Valley are united by a shared history and civilizational heritage, as well as centuries of experience in political, economic, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, which serves as a solid basis for deepening dialogue and good-neighborliness;

marked that the Fergana Valley region, historically situated at the junction of the Ancient Greek, Bactrian, Parthian, Chinese, and Islamic civilizations, possesses a unique cultural and historical heritage and continues to play an important role in the development of intercultural ties and economic integration;

affirmed that these historical circumstances have facilitated active dialogue among the peoples of the Fergana Valley countries, fostered rapid intellectual and spiritual progress, and today serve as a basis for building a unified space of friendship and good-neighbourliness;

asserted that global transformations – including the decline in trust and dialogue, the intensification of geopolitical confrontation, the diminished effectiveness of multilateral institutions, the rise of trade and technological contradictions, and the emergence of new barriers – underscore the necessity of deepening cooperation among the countries of the Fergana Valley";

acknowledged that the countries of Central Asia face a number of similar but multi-directional demographic processes: high natural population growth, the depletion of natural resources, growing migration mobility, the uneven distribution of human capital, and increasing pressure on social infrastructure.

In order to enhance regional interconnectedness in the Fergana Valley, and also recognizing the importance of supporting the efforts of Central Asian countries to ensure the sustainable and irreversible nature of the region's transformation into a space of trust, good-neighborliness, and partnership, the participants of the Fergana Forum:

emphasized the importance of strengthening relations among Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to ensure economic growth, sustainable development, and collective counteraction to challenges to stability and security;

reaffirmed their commitment to developing friendly and good-neighbourly and friendly relations among the countries of the Fergana Valley;

advocated for the creation of a unified space for coordinating efforts in the field of socio-economic development and interstate cooperation;

emphasized the importance of active international cooperation among the countries of the Fergana Valley as a unified sub-region that promotes the interests of sustainable development, resilience, and environmental and water security;

noted the necessity of creating favorable conditions for the development of trade and economic ties and the growth of mutual investments, including measures for the free movement of goods, services, and capital, as well as for establishing interconnected transport and energy infrastructure;

underlined the significance of developing close cooperation at the level of border regions, involving small and medium-sized businesses, establishing free trade zones, and promoting industrial localization and import substitution to saturate the consumer market with quality goods and ensure the region's industrial breakthrough;

advocated for industrial transformation, including the stimulation of joint industrial cooperation, the creation of added value, and the integration of the region's countries into global production chains;

expressed their readiness to support efforts toward the structural transformation of the Central Asian economy, the mobilization of financial and technical resources for the implementation of regional investment programs, as well as the expansion of the region's countries' access to modern technologies, digital solutions, and 'green' practices;

supported the development of initiatives in the areas of industrial localization, digitalization, sustainable agriculture, the planting of protective forest belts, and the restoration of pasture ecosystems;

noted the necessity of creating a regional system for monitoring land degradation using satellite and field data;

underscored the key role of modern, safe, and efficient transport and logistics infrastructure in accelerating economic growth and ensuring sustainable trade and investment flows;

advocated for the expansion of transport interconnectedness, including the launch of new bus routes between border cities and the integration of internal infrastructure into international transport corridors;

highlighted the necessity of developing comprehensive approaches to ensuring energy security by launching programs for the development of renewable energy sources, the modernization of energy infrastructure, the attraction of foreign investments, and the introduction of new technologies;

expressed their readiness to coordinate efforts for the widespread implementation of advanced digital platforms in the spheres of international trade, customs regulation, and transport, as well as in banking and finance, healthcare, education, science, and culture;

called for global cooperation on the exchange of technologies and digital solutions, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, as tools serving the interests of sustainable development, trust, and the common good;

urged to ensure the active participation of women in the social, political, and economic life of society as an integral part of the region's inclusive and sustainable development, and also for the strengthening of pedagogical potential and the education system in response to modern challenges;

advocated for the full realization of the Fergana Valley’s unique tourism potential, including the creation of cross-border tourist routes that encompass the historical and cultural monuments of all countries in the region;

expressed readiness to further strengthen cooperation in education, science, innovation, tourism, culture, art and sports, thereby fostering mutual understanding and friendship among peoples;

called upon international and regional organizations, as well as financial institutions, to assist in the development of regional trade, transport and transit infrastructure, and in strengthening ties among entrepreneurs and investors of Central Asian countries;

called upon the private sector to actively participate in the sustainable development projects of the Fergana Valley by investing in the modernization of industry, transport, and agriculture;

advocated for the development of sustainable agriculture, including the implementation of water-saving technologies, the restoration of pasture ecosystems, the planting of protective forest belts, and the fight against desertification based on modern monitoring systems;

called on youth and civil society organizations to engage in active dialogue and joint initiatives in the fields of culture, education, and social integration, thereby contributing to the strengthening of trust and good-neighborliness;

emphasized their readiness for joint implementation of programs on adaptation to climate change, rational water use, and the expanded use of 'clean' energy sources in the interest of the environmental sustainability of the Fergana Valley;

noted the importance of coordinated management of transboundary water resources and the development of common approaches to their rational use in order to ensure the region's sustainable development;

confirmed their readiness to work on the creation of new tourist routes that unite the historical and cultural monuments of all countries in the region, which will contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and ties between peoples;

reaffirmed their intention to continue efforts to deepen regional integration and constructive cooperation at all levels.

Overall, the participants of the Forum reached a common understanding that strengthening regional interconnectedness in the Fergana Valley is an effective form of multilateral cooperation that allows for for successfully countering modern challenges and threats while ensuring long-term security, stability, and sustainable development.

The parties expressed confidence that the agreements reached will serve as a foundation for the development and implementation of practical measures aimed at creating a unified space of friendship, good-neighborliness, and sustainable development for the peoples of the Fergana Valley and Central Asia as a whole.

The participants agreed to establish the Fergana Peace Forum as a regular and sustainable mechanism to foster trust and unlock the potential of the Fergana Valley.