📍Today, on May 18, the 2nd Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club is continuing in Nizhny Novgorod.

This year’s theme is “Russia — Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability”.

🌏 The Central Asian Conference will be attended by about 40 experts from 9 countries — Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

📎 Programme of the 2nd Central Asian Conference

📆 May 18, Wednesday

09:30 – 11:30 — Open discussion on topical issues of the region. Watch live

The purpose of this session is to give experts an opportunity to assess the most important new areas of interaction between Russia and the countries of Central Asia within the framework of a free exchange of views and to identify those issues and problems that have not yet fully manifested themselves.

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🎥 LIVE: at 9:30 an open discussion on topical issues of Central Asia is starting.

The discussion is hosted by the Valdai Club within the framework of its 2nd Central Asian Conference "Russia – Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability".

https://vk.com/video-117768947_456239364

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🇷🇺🌏 Farewell to the Comfort Zone: Russia and Central Asia in the New World

On Tuesday, May 17, the Second Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club began its work in Nizhny Novgorod.

During the opening ceremony, the participants of the conference were greeted by Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

According to the governor, the choice of Nizhny Novgorod as the venue for this event indicates the growing importance of the region on Russia's international agenda. Preparations for the 800th anniversary of the city, which was celebrated last year, became an occasion to rethink its role, he noted. The governor added that the cooperation of the Nizhny Novgorod region with the countries of Central Asia, which accounts for up to 10% of the total exports of the region, is of particular importance. Cardinal changes in the geopolitical situation are opening up more and more opportunities for the implementation of joint projects, he noted.

In turn, Andrey Rudenko spoke about the importance of Central Asia for Russia. He noted that Central Asia is a region that in our turbulent times is perceived as an island of stability. According to the deputy minister, the Central Asian partners "are sympathetic to the ongoing processes and are ready to give us a shoulder". In the context of geopolitical changes, Russia's foreign policy should be adjusted, and Central Asia will occupy an important, privileged place, he stressed.

The first, open session of the conference was devoted to geopolitical challenges and the joint development of the countries of the region and their neighbours. 

📝 Read our analytical note on the first day of the Conference.

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🇦🇫 One of the lethal aspects of the Afghan crisis that would endanger international security dynamics concerns the inconsistent Afghanistan policy of the US and NATO member states.

Instead of complimenting the Afghan Taliban to stabilise and engage all stakeholders, the ideological battles are being waged on sectarian grounds. A new product of transnational terrorism is in the making.

How this will impact the countries of the region, including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China, must be a matter of serious concern. This makes it more likely that ISIS, after destroying Afghan peace, might be deployed beyond the region because ISIS and other militant outfits have been used as a “peace disrupting” tool in different conflict zones.

The current and future conflicts may well be supplied with more recruits from Afghanistan, Europe and the Middle East.

Russia and the US must not demote Afghanistan over the Ukraine conflict. To avert the renewal of ISIS and other militant outfits in Afghanistan, Russia, the US, China, and Pakistan should continue to cooperate over Afghan peace, writes Muhammad Athar Javed,  Director General of Pakistan House.

🔗 Afghanistan and the Crisis in Europe: Kabul’s Prospects for Peace

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🌏 Central Asia and the Era of New Bipolarity

On Wednesday, May 18, the Second Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club ended in Nizhny Novgorod.

That day, an open discussion took place on the urgent problems facing the region. In the framework of a free exchange of views, the participants assessed the most important new areas of interaction between Russia and the countries of Central Asia, identifying those issues and problems that have not yet fully manifested themselves. 

Let's recall that the theme of the conference was "Russia — Central Asia: Cooperation and Development Amid Instability". An open discussion showed that the question of how to live in an era of instability is the most topical for all participants, without exception.

📝 Read our analytical note on the second day of the Conference

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🇹🇯🇷🇺 The transport corridors of Russia and Central and South Asia can become development corridors.

For 30 years, Tajikistan and Russia have successfully coordinated efforts in the field of foreign policy support of socio-economic, migration, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and interacted in the field of defence policy and security, which is important for all of Central Asia.

The core element of the Tajik-Russian strategic partnership and alliance is the coordination of joint actions in the international arena in a bilateral format, as well as within the framework of global and regional organisations such as the UN, the CSTO, the CIS, the SCO, etc.

For Tajikistan, Russia continues to be the main trading partner. 

Russia and the states of Central and South Asia should form a set of ties in the field of economy, security, culture and sustainable development in the face of hybrid challenges to stability in the new macro-region stretching from the Arctic Ocean (with the access of the Central Asian states to the northern Arctic sea trade route) to the seaports of the Indian Ocean, writes Guzel Majtdinova.

🔗 Tajik-Russian Interregional Cooperation in a Turbulent World: Features of Integration and Co-Development

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🇮🇳🌏 India has close geo-political and geo-cultural relationship with the countries in Central Asia.

Despite similar security concerns emanating from Afghanistan and mutual close cultural ties due to geographical proximity, India and the Central Asian countries were unable to impart a geo-economic logic to their relations due to lack of direct connectivity.

India had announced its Connect Central Asia policy in 2012 at Bishkek, seeking to connect with Central Asia through physical, air, people to people and digital connectivity.

However, despite its forward looking attitude, the policy suffered due to lack of institutionalised mechanisms to engage Central Asian countries at the political and economic levels. At the same time, connectivity initiatives could not pick pace due to geopolitical strains, writes Raj Kumar Sharma.

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🇷🇺🌏 A deep level of interdependence, ideally, should ensure the strategic nature of relations between the countries of Central Asia and Russia and guarantee the good-neighbourly nature of relations.

At the same time, the request for a multi-vector nature of the Central Asian republics, as well as sometimes domestic processes, have compelled the authorities of the countries in the region to look for ways to diversify their foreign policy, economic contacts, investments and technological packages.

The Ukrainian crisis has served as a serious catalyst for this process, prompting regional players to at least rethink the status quo.

The turn of Russian foreign policy to the East, announced earlier, is today becoming more and more relevant; it is impossible without a reset of relations with strategic partners in Central Asia, which should become a key transit space, a link between Russia and the countries of South Asia, writes Valdai Club expert Stanislav Pritchin.

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