At the first meeting of the Central Asia-Russia format, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined his vision of the possible solutions to the issues facing the region, QazMonitor reports citing the press service of Akorda.
1. External and Internal Security
The president brought the attention of his colleagues from the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Russia, to the issue of the ever-growing threat of terrorism, as well as illicit weapon and drug trafficking. He proposed the idea of emphasizing the multilateral exchange of information and early detection of threats through special preventive measures.
The Head of State specifically highlighted the situation in Afghanistan as the main risk factor for the region. Additionally, he believes that another danger lies in the unresolved border issues between the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
The question of borders should be resolved only peacefully, in the spirit of centuries-old friendship and mutual trust, and with strict observance of international law principles and the UN Charter. I think it would be useful to create a regional expert platform in order to address these issues.
2. Trade Liberalization
Speaking on the current economic situation, Tokayev noted that the region not only returned to the pre-pandemic levels of trade turnover but exceeded it by 34%, reaching $6 billion.
He invited the summit participants to develop a new model of cooperation between Central Asia and Russia with an emphasis on supporting small and medium-sized businesses and launching joint projects in energy, logistics, and agriculture. In this regard, Kazakhstan, ranked 28th among the countries with the highest level of digitalization in the world, is ready to share its achievements in the field.
Additionally, he called for removing trade barriers and avoiding protectionist measures with the goal of developing intraregional trade.
In the concluding statement, Tokayev noted the untapped potential of the region’s industries: “With the current level of our industries, we can substitute many types of foreign products for each other on a beneficial basis. Analysis of export-import operations shows ample opportunities in this direction,” resumed the president.
