🌏 On September 14-15, 2023, the Anniversary Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Five Central Asian States will be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Five years have passed since the first meeting was convened at the initiative of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and a mechanism for consultations at the highest level was launched.

Today we can say with confidence that the hopes for a “informal club” of regional leaders have been fully justified. Moreover, this is true of all components, including political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ones.

The countries of Central Asia, as independent parties engaged in international relations, do not want the region to become an arena of multilateral competition in the spirit of the “Great Game”. They have other long-term interests: strengthening the neighbourhood as well as building peaceful, friendly, equal and mutually respectful among themselves and with the outside world, writes Rashid Alimov. 

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/central-asia-towards-a-new-calibre-of-relations/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #CentralAsia

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🌏 The United States prefers not to swing the “sanctions baton” in Central Asia.

During the year, only a few companies were subjected to restrictions. None of the major local players were affected by the restrictions. Washington fears that more radical measures could embitter local elites and reduce Western influence in the region.

The conflict between the West and Russia, as well as the degradation of the system of international relations, have given the countries of Central Asia a chance to rethink their role in the world, build new relationships with each other and push for the economic development of the region, writes Grigory Mikhailov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/central-asia-competition-or-cooperation/

#Asia_and_Eurasia #CentralAsia #Eurasia #sanctions

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🌏 Central Asia is now home to about 75 million people. In 2022 and 2023, they all faced the threat of a large-scale crisis in the energy sector and the fresh water supply.

This is not a coincidence; both of these crises are connected with each other. Water shortages are not only a result of climate change, but also a consequence of the outdated hydropower system, with its seasonal water releases. 

The likelihood of similar large-scale and destructive hydro-conflicts in Central Asia, which are only a subtype of the so-called climate wars, is very high today. Disputes over climate and environmental responsibility greatly complicate regional dialogue. As a result, geopolitical decisions can serve as a means of exiting the current situation.

It is obvious that Russia can become a leader here, promoting initiatives in the field of nuclear energy around the world, including small nuclear power plant projects, write Kubatbek Rakhimov and Alexey Mikhalev.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/in-search-of-hydro-saving-technologies/

#Norms_and_Values #CentralAsia #energy #water

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🌏 Today, the world demands new international platforms for dialogue. Moreover, these should be new venues that have not discredited themselves with the policy of “double standards”. In our opinion, the SCO is precisely such a platform today. 

This organisation, at each stage of its evolution, has solved particular problems within a certain period of time, acquiring authority in the international community. Therefore, we can confidently state that today the SCO has transformed from a regional organisation into an international structure.

However, the complex current situation in the world requires that such relatively young international organisations or structures as the SCO and BRICS+ join forces and create a new international structure of global significance and assume planetary responsibility for the fate of humanity.

The countries of Central Asia and Russia could initiate this process immediately, writes Rustam Haidarzoda, Director of the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Countries, National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, for the 4th Central Asian conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/central-asia-and-russia-on-the-path-to-building/

#CentralAsianValdai #WiderEurasia #CentralAsia

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🤝🌏 The nascent just world order is facing its greatest challenges. Against this background, relations between Russia and the states of Central Asia are characterised by stability, a high level of trust and mutual respect, and are essentially privileged in nature.

The well-being of the peoples of the six countries of Eurasia, as well as, in many ways, the peace and stability of the region depends on how the trust-based bilateral and multilateral (Central Asia plus Russia) dialogue, as well as the multifaceted cooperation that has developed between the parties is maintained and improved upon, writes Rashid Alimov, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Taihe Institute (China), Secretary General of the SCO (2016-2018).

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/granite-does-not-melt-the-prospects/

📍 The material was prepared especially for the 4th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discusdion Club.

#WiderEurasia #CentralAsianValdai #CentralAsia

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🇹🇷🌏 Over the past years, Turkey has been successfully fostering unity among Turkic-speaking peoples, and receiving economic and political dividends.

The Central Asian states gained independence more than thirty years ago and the region has largely remained outside the field of vision of the Western powers, which recognise it as being within Russia’s sphere of influence. However, this region has great mineral resources and infrastructure potential, which makes it a testing ground for diplomatic battles involving new political players.

Obviously, now it is the perfect time to redistribute spheres of influence in this region, because Russia is busy addressing the Ukraine crisis, and the majority of the population of Central Asia is a generation that grew up after the fall of the Soviet Union and is free of its cultural influence. Thanks to this, Turkey has an undeniable advantage there, which it certainly uses.

By promoting the idea of a shared past helps to establish relationships in completely different areas, Turkey is penetrating into the areas of defence, energy and culture, becoming a real counterweight to Russia, Anna Machina writes.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/turkish-challenge/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #Turkey #CentralAsia

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