An online international webinar on “Central Asia: A Vision of Peace, Partnership and Development” has taken place on May 16, 2021. The event was organized by Tillotoma Foundation.

The event was attended by prominent representatives of leading foreign research organizations, such as the Atlantic Council, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Political Science Department of the University of Louisville (USA) and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (Russia).

The Uzbek side was represented by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to India D. Akhatov, Director of Information and Analytical Center for International Relations D. Kurbanov, as well as leading researchers of the ISRS under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the International Institute for Central Asia.

Participants exchanged views on the current state of an interstate partnership between Central Asian countries, the dynamics and prospects for further strengthening regional cooperation at the present stage.

Speaking at the event, ISRS expert Aziz Karimov highlighted these issues separately. In particular, he emphasized the role of the modern regional strategy of Uzbekistan in the progressive development of regionalism in Central Asia and ensuring the irreversibility of these processes.

According to him, new Uzbekistan at the present stage is not only becoming a driving force for regional transformations, but also expresses its readiness to act as a reliable conductor of the collective interests of consolidated Central Asia in the neighboring South Asian region.

Clear evidence of this is the initiation of the Central Asia – India dialogue format by the Uzbek side, which is supported by all participants. It was emphasized that the activities of this platform have created additional favorable conditions for the active interaction of New Delhi with all Central Asian capitals.

The signing of the trilateral agreement on the construction of the Trans-Afghan Corridor, designed to ensure uninterrupted interregional transport links and give a new impetus to the dynamics of trade-economic exchanges, is another important step taken by Uzbekistan towards the revival of historical ties between Central and South Asia.

In this context, participants were informed about Tashkent's plans to hold a high-level international conference “Central and South Asia: Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent in July 2021.

This event, designed to identify promising areas of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two historically, cultural-civilizational and economically close regions, will become the cornerstone of all Uzbekistan's efforts to build the practical foundations of trans-regional connectivity. Its results can lay a solid foundation for the future architecture of interregional relations.

In general, participants highly appreciated the modern regional strategy of Uzbekistan. The experts also expressed their conviction that the practical implementation of Uzbekistan's goals for building trans-regional connectivity will create a new point of economic growth for Central and South Asia.

UzA