The International Institute for Central Asia (IICA) hosted a roundtable titled “Promising areas of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia in Central Asia”, organized jointly with the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS).

The roundtable was attended by representatives of IICA and RISS, as well as members of Russia’s diplomatic corps, leading research institutions, and think tanks.

Director of the International Institute for Central Asia Javlon Vakhabov emphasized that developing expert dialogue with Russia plays a key role in expanding cooperation, not only bilaterally but also on a regional scale. He noted that analytical structures serve as an essential platform for exchanging views, developing joint approaches, and shaping a long-term cooperation agenda.

In turn, Director of RISS Mikhail Fradkov stressed that a crucial factor in the consistent development of partnership remains the trust-based and constructive relations between the leaders of Uzbekistan and Russia. The frequency of their contacts sets the pace of interaction across all priority areas – from economy and investment to the humanitarian agenda. Fradkov also emphasized the importance of expert-level dialogue as a means of developing practical recommendations to implement agreements reached at the highest level.

During the roundtable, particular attention was paid to issues of trade and economic cooperation, as well as cultural and humanitarian exchange. Experts noted that deepening cooperation contributes to strengthening regional stability, advancing joint economic and infrastructure projects, and expanding cultural and humanitarian ties. Industrial cooperation, energy, transport connectivity, labor migration, and educational exchange were identified as priority areas for further development.

[gallery-25545]

Gayrat Khonnazarov, UzA