Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — An international expert meeting on Central Asia’s strategies, regional security and new cooperation has concluded in Cadenabbia, Italy, with participants discussing ways to strengthen regional rapprochement and give it broader public support.
The meeting, titled “Central Asia amid Global Shifts: Own Strategies, Regional Security and the Formation of New Cooperation,” was organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Delegations from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took part in the meeting, including representatives of parliaments, foreign policy agencies, think tanks and the media community.
The second day focused on consolidating the rapprochement achieved among the countries of the region and strengthening its social foundation. Discussions centered on the human dimension of integration, building trust and developing a common regional identity.
Fergana Peace Forum
The Uzbek delegation presented President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative to develop the Fergana Peace Forum as a permanent international platform for strengthening trust and good-neighborly relations.
Akramjon Nematov, first deputy director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies, said the forum should become not a one-off event but a permanent process that translates political trust into sustainable cooperation between societies and border regions.
The forum’s first meeting was held in October 2025 in Fergana and brought together more than 300 participants. In 2026, an international youth peacebuilding seminar was held under its auspices. The United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, PeaceNexus, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and several other international organizations joined the platform’s work. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in late September in Khujand.
Nematov also highlighted the UN General Assembly resolution “Peaceful Settlement of Border Disputes,” adopted on 20 May 2026 and jointly submitted by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. According to Nematov, the document confirms that Central Asia’s experience in peacefully resolving complex border issues is receiving international recognition.
Regional Identity Concept
Shahlo Khamrakhodjaeva, a leading researcher at the Institute for Advanced International Studies, presented a draft Concept for the Formation and Strengthening of Central Asian Regional Identity. The document was developed with the participation of experts from all five Central Asian states and is based on three pillars: common cultural and historical heritage, contemporary experience of cooperation, and a shared vision of the future.
“Regional identity does not mean that we should become the same. Its formula is simple: a strong national identity plus shared responsibility for the region,” Khamrakhodjaeva said.
The concept focuses not on unification but on expanding educational, youth, cultural and economic ties while fully respecting the sovereignty of each state.
Following two days of discussions, participants agreed that a combination of political trust, economic interconnectedness and public support could give regional rapprochement a sustainable and irreversible character.
