The fourth edition has just ended in the capital of Uzbekistan forum of think tanks “Central Asia-China”. In the prestigious conference of analysts hosted participation of orientalist, expert of the Scientific Center for Strategic Research Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Turkmenistan Dovletmyrat Mammedov. Editorial Board of "Golden Age" asked the scientist to share his impressions of work of the forum and briefly dwell on those points which, in his opinion, seem especially relevant for development of our region.
- First of all, I would like to remind readers that the previous a forum of regional experts was held in September last year in Xi'an city, Shaanxi province of China. Then the main thing the leitmotif of the conference, which brought together more than a hundred experts and scientists, it became - combining efforts to create a closer community of common destiny “China-Central Asia”. In Xi'an discussed the tasks of modernization in the context of cultural civilizational diversity aimed at improving socio-economic situation of the participating countries and strengthening interregional cooperation. Then about initiatives and proposals of Turkmenistan related to issues of strengthening cooperation between the countries of the region with the rector of the institute made an extensive report at the conference International Relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, professor Djumamyrat Shamyradovich Gurbangeldyev. In particular, he spoke about the need to launch a Central Asian transport and logistics platform, which would mean the creation of transport hubs in the region, the formation of new transit corridors, as well as optimization of customs, migration and other procedures along international transport routes.
China Forum, activating the role of experts and analysts region, gave impetus to considering in perspective specific tasks, the solution of which in practice would contribute to well-being of the population of the countries of the region. And how we see that the current Tashkent forum has focused attention experts and scientists on specific tasks - the economy of the future (digital, innovative and green energy) and development transport and logistics connections as the most important factor achieving shared prosperity.
It should be said that to the credit of the organizers of the Tashkent forum - Institute for Strategic Studies under the President Republic of Uzbekistan, Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this time managed to attract a wide range of circle of authoritative international analytical centers and prominent scientists and analysts of the region.
In a cozy and ultra-modern conference hall of the Tashkent hotel "International Hotel" Tashkent" with your thoughts and vision of prospects the problems under consideration were shared by the leaders of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Republic Uzbekistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Uzbekistan, National Institute of Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Center for Strategic research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Kazakh Institute of Strategic Studies under the President Republic of Kazakhstan, Scientific Center for Strategic research of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Turkmenistan, ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in Uzbekistan and other leading experts from the countries of the region and China.
According to forecasts made at the conference, by 2030 the total GDP of the Central Asian countries will grow to 700 billion US dollars, and exports from the region will reach 200 billion dollars USA. This significant growth is based on significant increasing production in the countries of the region. In this regard, according to the opinion of many speakers, the formation of a transport interconnectedness of the countries of the region can become one of significant components of socio-economic progress. It was also noted that it is important for the integration of the region into global value chains is taking action to improve the efficiency of border crossings by promoting digital platforms, in particular digital document flow and digital payments.
Among the international transport routes, it was noted the importance of further development of the Southern Corridor, covering Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In this regard, it was also said that that the recently launched railway line “Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye", which significantly reduces the time and costs of transportation between South Asia, the CIS and Europe.
In general, according to the speakers at the forum, the development transport corridors through Central Asia opens huge prospects for economic growth and regional integration. Jointly solving existing issues and investing in infrastructure, we can confidently say that these corridors will become the preferred routes for trade, contributing to the continued prosperity of the region. By moving forward together, we can turn Central Asia into a vital hub for global trade.
