Central Asia–Nordic Council Cooperation Prospects Discussed in Helsinki

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A delegation from Uzbekistan, including representatives of analytical centers, visited Helsinki, Finland. The visit was organized with the support of the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution.

During the visit, which took place from 23 to 25 February, a series of working meetings was held with the leadership of the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, education and culture, agriculture and forestry, environment and climate, as well as members of the Parliament of Finland, the Nordic Investment Bank and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Uzbekistan was represented in the talks by experts from the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the International Institute for Central Asia. The discussions also involved representatives of leading analytical centers from Central Asia, including the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Finnish side was presented with comprehensive information on the large-scale socio-economic and institutional transformations underway in Uzbekistan. Particular attention was paid to public administration reform, economic liberalization, improvements to the investment climate, and human capital development. It was emphasized that the consistent modernization of key sectors aims to ensure sustainable economic growth, raise living standards, and deepen the country’s integration into global processes.

A separate emphasis was placed on the emergence of a qualitatively new stage of regional cooperation in Central Asia, achieved through Uzbekistan’s pragmatic, constructive, and good-neighborly foreign policy. Participants noted that active political dialogue, growing economic interconnectedness, the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, and the advancement of joint solutions in the water, energy, and environmental spheres have strengthened trust and created sustainable partnership mechanisms across the region.

Finnish experts, for their part, highly praised the systemic and long-term nature of Uzbekistan’s reforms, noting the country’s increasing role as one of the key drivers of positive change in Central Asia. They also underscored that the visit by Finnish President Alexander Stubb to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in October 2025 sent an important political signal to the Nordic countries, reaffirming the region’s strategic importance and giving additional momentum to interregional dialogue.

Among the priority areas for further cooperation, the parties identified the development of the green economy, sustainable natural resource management, digital transformation of public administration, modernization of the education system, innovation-driven growth, and the training of skilled professionals. It was noted that Finland possesses advanced expertise in these fields, which is of considerable interest for expanding practical partnerships with Central Asian countries.

The meetings concluded with confirmation of mutual interest in further deepening cooperation and an agreement to continue expert dialogue, including through analytical and research institutions, with a view to developing forward-looking initiatives and practical recommendations for advancing interregional cooperation.