Representatives of the public sector, business and expert community from Central Asia and the United States, with the participation of international financial institutions, held the first B5+1 forum entitled «Strengthening regional economic integration in Central Asia through public-private dialogue» on the 14th to 15th of March in Almaty.
The business forum, which aims to promote trade, investment, improve the business environment and economic integration in Central Asia, was attended by a delegation of Turkmenistan led by Minister of Economy and Finance Serdar Jorayev.
Speaking at the opening of the Forum, Nicholas Berliner, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia at the National Security Council, cited several examples of long-term and deep ties between American companies and Central Asia, including Turkmenistan. Oxbow Group, one of the world's largest refiners of petroleum and natural gas products, sells petcoke from Turkmenistan to markets where it can be used to produce aluminum, steel, electricity, cement and other critical products.
The B5+1 Forum is designed to complement the C5+1 diplomatic platform and aims to create opportunities to build business and economic ties with neighboring Central Asian countries, the United States and the rest of the world. The forum discussed the development of key industries, including transport and logistics, e-commerce, tourism, green and renewable energy, and agribusiness.
According to the business agenda of the forum prepared by CIPE, a branch of the US Chamber of Commerce, on the first day the goals and expected results of B5+1 were outlined, national and regional perspectives were discussed, and recommendations from the expert and business community were presented on improving economic integration and the investment climate in the region.
The second day of the forum is dedicated to the international vision of ways to promote trade and investment flows in Central Asia. The keynote address by Dr. S. Frederick Starr on «Central Asia and the World» was followed by discussions on economic development programs and partnerships. US companies shared their experiences investing in priority sectors in Central Asia, and local business associations discussed opportunities for dialogue between the public and private sectors to grow and enter new markets.
