Central Asia and the South Caucasus: prospects for connectivity

Tashkent hosts an international conference on “Central Asia – South Caucasus: connectivity and development prospects”.

The event is organized by the International Institute for Central Asia, the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation), and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s offices in Estonia, Georgia, and Central Asia.

The conference has brought together experts, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from Europe, the United States, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. They are discussing ways to strengthen ties between the two regions, which until recently were viewed primarily as territories situated between major geopolitical centers.

Experts are examining routes through Turkmenistan and Iran, projects to establish access to Pakistan via Afghanistan, and new connections within the South Caucasus. Each route presents its own financial, regulatory, and security challenges, making it essential to assess its potential based on actual commercial demand.

A central theme of the conference is that transport corridors should benefit the regions themselves rather than merely facilitate transit between major markets.

Participants propose selecting priority routes based on common criteria, including transit times, logistics costs, border delays, transport reliability, and the share of added value retained in local economies.

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Orash Akaboyev, photos by Farhod Abdurasulov, UzA