Uzbek President Proposes New “Community of Central Asia” to Boost Regional Integration

Reuters

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sunday proposed the creation of a new regional cooperation body, to be called the “Community of Central Asia”, aimed at advancing economic integration across a region home to more than 80 million people.

Addressing a summit in Tashkent attended by the leaders of the five post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, as well as Azerbaijan, President Mirziyoyev suggested that their regular informal meetings be transformed into a formal regional organisation.

He emphasised the need to strengthen economic, security and environmental cooperation, noting that deeper collaboration would contribute to greater stability and development across the region.

Central Asia, endowed with significant mineral and energy resources, has traditionally maintained strong political and economic ties with Russia. However, in recent years the region has increasingly attracted interest from Western countries, while China continues to exert substantial commercial influence.

There was no immediate response from the other leaders to the Uzbek proposal, although all five Central Asian states have previously expressed support for enhanced regional integration — a long-standing aspiration often challenged by historical tensions. Earlier this year, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan resolved a protracted border dispute that had claimed hundreds of lives.

The five leaders also travelled together to Washington earlier this month for discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a separate announcement, President Mirziyoyev said that all five Central Asian countries had agreed to include Azerbaijan — a predominantly Muslim South Caucasus nation not traditionally regarded as part of Central Asia — in their regular high-level meetings.

Source: Reuters


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