The fifth consultative meeting of Central Asian heads of state will take place in Dushanbe, and it will be attended by Presidents Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan.
Notably, for the first time in the history of the summit, a head of state located outside of Central Asia, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, will participate as a guest of honor and is scheduled to speak at the general meeting. Additionally, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan and former president, has been invited to attend as a guest of honor.
The program of events includes bilateral meetings between President Rahmon and the arriving heads of state, followed by a general meeting. The leaders are expected to adopt several documents, including a joint statement, agreements on land transportation interconnectivity in Central Asia, and common directions for youth policy. Discussions will also encompass topics such as security, economic cooperation, and other relevant issues.
Furthermore, a meeting of the board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea is scheduled for September 15. Established in 1993 to address the ecological disaster in the area of the desiccated Aral Sea, Kazakhstan will assume the chairmanship of the fund this year.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry highlighted that alongside the summit, 16 different cultural and business events are taking place in Dushanbe. These include an economic forum, a meeting of transport ministers from the region's countries, forums for volunteers and women leaders, as well as university rectors. An "Evening of Friendship" concert is also on the agenda.
Joint problem-solving
Rashid Alimov, the former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from 2016 to 2018, a professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Tajikistan, and a Doctor of Political Sciences, anticipates that the upcoming meeting of Central Asian heads of state will focus on addressing the issue of Afghanistan. Three out of the five countries regularly participating in these consultative meetings share a border with Afghanistan.
Alimov emphasizes the necessity of developing a unified perspective on Afghanistan's future, considering the sensitivity and urgency of this topic for both the region and the world. He notes that so far, none of the international initiatives aimed at resolving the Afghan situation has proven successful.
Additionally, the expert highlights the significance of formulating a collective regional policy for youth engagement. Concerns about youth radicalization and extremism persist, with some segments of young people susceptible to extremist ideas and recruitment into extremist groups. Alimov underscores that young individuals comprise more than a third of Central Asia's 80 million population.
Furthermore, Alimov points out that collaboration in the transportation sector should contribute to the GDP growth of the region's states. Enhanced transport infrastructure will foster increased international transportation, foreign trade volume, passenger traffic, job creation, improved living standards, and tourism development. In the long term, these developments are expected to boost each country's GDP by approximately 15%.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Rjruiziii/Creative Commons 3.0
Based on materials from TASS