Central Asian countries have been urged to strengthen cooperation on all fronts to ensure stability, prosperity, and a safer world for the entire region. Officials and analysts conveyed this message during the first Central Asian Forum on Security and Cooperation held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan emphasized the challenges facing the world, including the erosion of the international relations system, rising geostrategic tensions, and global economic uncertainty. He stressed the need to focus efforts on seeking constructive ideas and effective approaches to build a safer and more just world.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, highlighted the importance of Central Asia as an integral part of the dynamic and developing Asian region. With a population of 77 million people and a combined GDP of nearly $350 billion, Asia plays a crucial role in global affairs in terms of economic potential and political influence.
Nurtleu emphasized that peaceful negotiations should be the primary approach to resolving border disputes in Central Asia. He also praised the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in contributing to regional stability, expressing Kazakhstan’s focus on fostering economic and trade relations, ensuring energy security, protecting the environment, enhancing digital connectivity, and strengthening humanitarian ties during its chairmanship in the SCO.
Kazakhstan aims to merge strong partnerships along the Middle Corridor to leverage untapped potential in global initiatives such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Cooperation under the SCO framework has already brought benefits to Central Asian countries, and there is potential for further growth in the near future.
According to Minhyeon Jeong, an associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, harmonizing cooperative projects like the SCO and the Belt and Road Initiative with the development blueprints of Central Asian countries is crucial. Jeong emphasized the importance of an economic cooperation platform within the region to ensure regional security, stability, and socio-economic prosperity.
The two-day forum, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, aimed to promote closer regional cooperation and enhance stability and prosperity in Central Asia. By strengthening cooperation, Central Asian countries can contribute to building a safer and more just world, addressing ecological imbalances, and reducing social inequality.
In conclusion, the Central Asian Forum on Security and Cooperation highlighted the importance of closer relations and cooperation among Central Asian countries for the stability and prosperity of the entire region. By working together, the countries can address global challenges, foster economic growth, and contribute to building a safer and more just world. The forum stressed the significance of organizations like the SCO and the need for harmonizing cooperative projects with the development blueprints of the countries involved.
