These days, the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, is hosting the latest meeting of regional experts and analysts within the framework of the “Central Asia + Republic of Korea” platform. The event has been organized by the Forum Secretariat and the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. The first such meeting took place exactly two years ago in Tashkent.
It should be noted that over recent years, Central Asia has increasingly strengthened cooperation across all areas while establishing itself as an independent actor in international affairs and successfully implementing multilateral engagement through the “CA+” format. One of the first countries to initiate the creation of this important mechanism, as early as 2007, was the Republic of Korea.
Today, the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea actively cooperate in the political, trade and economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres. Another important area of cooperation is the establishment and strengthening of ties among members of the expert and analytical community. In recent years, the Central Asia + Republic of Korea Forum has accumulated substantial experience in joint work, creating a solid foundation for effective long-term cooperation.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Korea initially identified priority areas of joint activity aimed at ensuring the socio-economic development and prosperity of all participants in the format. As previously noted, cooperation in the economic sphere remains the most important objective of this six-party framework. The presence of South Korean businesses in Central Asia and the implementation of joint projects in various sectors have had a significant positive impact on the region’s development, opening new opportunities for broad and mutually beneficial international partnership.
In this regard, participants at the current meeting emphasized that an important place in the joint dialogue should be devoted to effective cooperation in the fields of industry, investment, technology, and telecommunications, where the Republic of Korea possesses extensive experience. At the same time, the countries of Central Asia—with their considerable resource potential, advantageous geographic location, and young, socially mobile populations—represent promising partners for the Republic of Korea.
Among the topics discussed by Forum participants were priority areas of cooperation, shared interests, and untapped opportunities, including mutually beneficial partnership between Central Asia and the Republic of Korea in the context of new geopolitical dynamics, the importance of strengthening scientific and analytical cooperation, establishing a permanent dialogue and exchange of views on regional and international issues; developing effective models for mutually beneficial growth, and prospects for multilateral partnership.
Since the first days of its independence, Turkmenistan has remained firmly committed to strengthening relations of friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Republic of Korea. Today, an important component of these relations is the “Central Asia + Republic of Korea” platform, which makes it possible to focus joint efforts on the most promising areas of cooperation through a better understanding of mutual needs and opportunities.
Representatives of the Turkmen delegation speaking at the Forum emphasized that a significant prerequisite for further strengthening interstate relations lies in the deep historical and cultural ties that unite the peoples of the participating countries, as well as in the similarity of their fundamental values and moral principles. In this context, they stressed the need to continue active cooperation in order to develop a multifaceted dialogue between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.
According to political scientists and analysts, it is important for the countries of Central Asia to develop effective strategies and initiatives in the near future so that the region can fully utilize its potential to achieve a sustainable and prosperous future.
The Forum concluded with a cultural program during which guests and participants visited the Kokhi Navruz Cultural and Entertainment Complex.
The Turkmen delegation at the Forum includes Gaygysyz Dovletov, Vice-Rector of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; Shohrat Divangulyyev, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; Shiri Shiriev, Director of the Scientific Center for Strategic Studies of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; and Bekdurdy Amansaryyev, Leading Research Fellow at the Institute’s analytical center.
