21.07.2022

Dear colleagues!

I am pleased to welcome all the participants of our meeting.

I join the words of my esteemed colleagues and express my gratitude to the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Nurgojoevich for a warm welcome and excellent organization of our Summit.

I also welcome distinguished Serdar Gurbangulyevich, who is taking part in the Consultative Meeting for the first time.

As has been pointed out several times today, thanks to the established dialogue in this format, we have managed to strengthen the relations of friendship and good neighborliness, and create a completely new atmosphere of constructive cooperation in the region.

We are consistently addressing the difficult tasks of ensuring security, stability and sustainable socio-economic development in Central Asia.

On this path, many barriers have been removed, conditions created for the free movement of our citizens, active cultural and tourist exchanges.

An enabling environment for the growth of mutual trade and investment has been created.

In the last five years alone, the volume of intraregional trade has doubled.

We have also launched the joint industrial cooperation projects, creating efficient value chains and developing transport and energy infrastructure.

Most importantly, all these positive changes are being felt by our fraternal peoples.

 

Dear colleagues!

I agree with the assessments have been made here of the challenging situation in the world, which has directly affected our region.

There is a rapid transformation of the international order with unpredictable consequences. We are witnessing a growing lack of dialogue and trust at the global level.

As a result of the intensification of the crisis in the global economy, our countries are facing with the problems of breaking traditional supply chains, the import inflation is growing, and the food and energy security risks have multiplied.

Under these circumstances, the coordination and effectiveness of multilateral cooperation in the framework of the Consultative Meetings is even more required.

Let me emphasize that peace, stability and well-being of the entire region depend on our cohesion and readiness to take decisive measures to protect the common interests of Central Asia.

 

Distinguished heads of states!

In order to further strengthen the multifaceted relations and develop practical regional interactions, we consider it expedient to focus our common efforts on deepening partnership in the following key dimensions.

The first is the economic dimension. The analysis shows that despite the positive dynamics, the potential of trade and economic cooperation between our countries is still undiscovered.

Today, the intraregional trade accounts for between 5 and 10 per cent of the region’s total trade.

In this regard, we propose to actively introduce the new forms and mechanisms to stimulate mutual trade.

The point of issue is the creation of a system of border trade zones with unified rules and procedures for the supply of goods.

What is important here is to understand and support efforts to replace costly and not always high-quality imports from third countries with the products of our manufacturers.

Another important task is to promote joint industrial cooperation projects.

Our business circles are interested in the creation of production, using competitive advantages and the factor of mutual complementarity of the economies of the region.

In this regard, it is important to develop common approaches to the formation of the Central Asian space of industrial localization and import substitution based on the national industrial development programs.

I propose to pay a special attention to the digitalization of the economy, which will reduce the cost of production and ensure the competitiveness of products.

In order to further develop trade and economic ties, we also propose to use the potential of direct interregional cooperation more widely and launch the annual Forum of Central Asian Regions.

Along with this, it is necessary to strive to create a single favorable business environment in order to increase the overall regional investment attractiveness.

 

Dear friends!

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for supporting the recently adopted special Resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening the connectivity of Central and South Asia, at the initiative of Uzbekistan.

As a follow-up to this initiative, we consider it important to develop a «road map» for the promotion of alternative transport corridors to enter the markets of India, Pakistan and China.

I also support the proposals of my colleagues on measures to ensure food security.

In this context, I believe it is important to work together to develop a Comprehensive Scheme to guarantee the population a wide range of foodstuffs produced in sufficient volumes in our countries.

First of all, these are cereals, oilseeds and fodder crops, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products and many other goods.

In these matters, we must organize a systematic work, taking into account, first and foremost, the common interests of the Central Asian region.

The second dimension is multilateral cooperation in the environmental direction.

I would like to express my gratitude for the support of our initiative to adopt the Green Agenda for Central Asia.

As a part of this program, we propose to focus on the issues of fulfilling international commitments on the decarbonization of the economy, advancing the development of alternative energy, primarily hydro, solar and wind generation, by organizing the mutual supplies of electricity, the widespread introduction of water-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, as well as the rational use of water resources.

We must, unfortunately, admit the fact of our lagging far behind the leading regions of the world in terms of «green development».

For the long-term competitiveness of our countries, it is necessary to instruct the governments to prepare a Plan of Specific Actions for the implementation of the program adopted today.

In the humanitarian dimension, I propose to strengthen a concerted work on the implementation of cooperation programs in the field of culture, education, sports and tourism, as well as in-depth study of our common history. All this, certainly, shall contribute to the further rapprochement of our fraternal peoples.

We propose to hold the Central Asian Festival of Culture, Art and Cinema alternately in our countries.

I would like to pay a special attention to the ways of expanding our cooperation in the field of tourism.

We should actively promote the interregional tourism by developing special tourist routes and products, and conducting unified PR campaigns.

To this end, we propose to create a joint expert group to prepare specific proposals for increasing mutual tourist flows.

I would like particularly to dwell on the productive outcomes of the Central Asian Youth Forum, held in Tashkent in May this year.

We have got proof once again that our young people have similar views and aspirations, and a powerful intellectual potential.

We must continue to fully support their breakthrough initiatives, creative approaches and start-up projects.

We propose to prepare for our next meeting a multilateral Agreement on General Directions of Youth Policy.

 

Dear friends!

The security sector is the strategic direction of our regional cooperation.

I would like to emphasize that the security of the region is indivisible and, above all, depends on how effectively our partnership is built.

In this regard, we need to further build up practical cooperation in combating the traditional threats of extremism and terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking.

The new challenges posed by illicit activities on the Internet, which are on the rise, require our special attention.

Today, these threats have no borders – they penetrate through mobile phones.

Unfortunately, the recent tragic events in Uzbekistan have once again confirmed the existence of destructive forces that are trying to disrupt our plans, create chaos and instability in our region.

In this regard, we support the proposal to launch regular consultations between the heads of the security councils and the intelligence services of the countries of the region in these directions.

Our top priority must remain our continued close cooperation in assistance to ensure a long-term peace and socio-economic recovery in Afghanistan.

We, the closest neighbors, should be more than anyone else interested in stability in this country. It is also up to us to determine how the international community perceives the problem.

We also stand for the active development of trade relations with this country, its involvement in regional economic processes, the expansion of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, and the promotion of important social and infrastructure projects.

 

Dear colleagues!

Undoubtedly, the main outcome of our Summit is the adoption of a solid package of documents designed to strengthen the relations of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation between our countries for the sake of peace and sustainable development of Central Asia.

I would like to join my colleagues in expressing confidence that the outcomes of the Consultative Meeting shall serve to strengthen the strategic partnership and trust between our countries and give a powerful impetus to the promotion of joint programs and projects of practical cooperation.

 

Thank you for your attention.

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