The International Institute for Central Asia hosted a roundtable discussion on “Central Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council: Priorities and Prospects”.

The event was attended by employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, heads of diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, as well as representatives of the public and political circles, experts from leading think tanks.

The participants discussed the results of the First Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries, held on July 19-20 in the city of Jeddah. The essence and significance of the proposals and initiatives put forward by the President of Uzbekistan were analyzed.

Views were exchanged on promising areas of cooperation between the two regions in politics, security, economy, trade, investment, energy, transport, agriculture, ecology, and others.

“While the need for the strategic development of relations between our regions is growing, the summit in Jeddah has become especially timely. It will serve to strengthen our current relations. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his speech, expressed valuable initiatives to strengthen further partnerships”, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates Saeed Al Qamzi said.

The UAE Ambassador to Uzbekistan also said that all proposals and conclusions were summarized, and essential tasks were agreed upon. The expressed opinions and judgments and the proposals put forward by the heads of state received full support.

Foreign experts unanimously agreed with the opinion of the Leader of Uzbekistan that, despite today’s risks and difficulties, the two regions remain a place of peace, stability, and development. The fact that the states of Central Asia and the Persian Gulf consider each other as reliable and long-term partners is highly appreciated.

It was noted that special attention is paid to the consistent development of a coordinated approach to interregional issues, coordination of the activities of such international structures as the UN, CIS, SCO, and OIC, including the establishment of relations with leading countries within the framework of the “Central Asia Plus” dialogue format.

By the program of the conference, representatives of the embassies expressed their views on the essence and significance of the proposals put forward at the summit by the leaders of their countries. Thus, the first dialogue held in the city of Jeddah was assessed as a confident step towards improving the well-being of people, the commonality of cultures and religion, and raising mutual partnership to a new level.

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Bekhruz Khudoyberdiyev, photos by Muhammad Amin, UzA