Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — An international expert meeting on Central Asia’s role amid global changes is taking place from 17 to 19 September in Cadenabbia, Italy, bringing together representatives of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, including parliamentarians, foreign policy officials, experts and media representatives.
The meeting, titled “Central Asia Amid Global Shifts: Own Strategies, Regional Security and the Formation of New Cooperation,” is being held at the International Meeting Center for Politics, Economics and Art of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Discussions have focused on the transformation of the international order and Central Asia’s growing role. Participants noted that strengthening trust and good-neighborly relations, as well as developing trade, transport and water-and-energy connectivity, contribute to the formation of a common space for joint development and strengthen the region’s agency, resilience and strategic autonomy.
Speaking on “Central Asia as an Emerging Hub of Eurasian Connectivity,” Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies (ISMI), presented a vision of the region’s new geoeconomic role amid the restructuring of global value chains.
He said changes taking place in Central Asia — including stronger trust, good-neighborly relations, connectivity and regional agency — fully reflect the policy pursued by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
From the early years of his leadership, Central Asia was identified as Uzbekistan’s main foreign policy priority, while relations with neighboring countries were based on open dialogue, mutual respect, reasonable compromise and joint efforts to find solutions. This approach became one of the key factors behind the formation of a new political atmosphere in the region.
Today, the region is increasingly viewed not in terms of geographical remoteness, but as a space for transport connectivity, critical minerals, green energy, industrial production, digitalization and a growing domestic market.
The combined economy of Central Asia could exceed US$600 billion for the first time in 2026, while industry is growing by about 6% annually. The region’s population is approaching 85 million, with a median age of about 27. These indicators point to the region’s growing production, labor and consumer potential.
“Central Asia is no longer simply a territory between the largest markets of Eurasia. It is gradually becoming an independent economic hub capable of connecting these markets while simultaneously creating its own added value,” Nematov said.
According to him, President Mirziyoyev has consistently promoted this transformation of the region in recent years by advocating the development of mutual trade, industrial cooperation, transport corridors and a common space of new economic opportunities.
In this context, the ISMI representative highlighted a special resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in May 2026, titled “Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Economic Integration for Sustainable Development in the Central Asian Region.” The initiative to develop the resolution was put forward by Uzbekistan’s president at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly and received international support. Sixty-six countries, including all Central Asian states, joined as co-sponsors of the document.
According to Nematov, the resolution is significant because it not only supports further economic integration but also calls on UN system organizations to promote innovation, job creation and sustainable growth in the region in line with its priorities.
“Essentially, the international community supported the course toward transforming Central Asia into a more interconnected and economically resilient development space capable of shaping its own agenda,” he said.
Particular attention was paid to expanding transport connectivity and diversifying Central Asia’s external routes. One of the fastest-growing directions is the Middle Corridor, where freight volumes have increased in recent years from about 1.5 million tonnes to more than 4 million tonnes, while container traffic has risen from 33,000 to 77,000 TEUs.
Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is also progressing, with a potential capacity of up to 15 million tonnes per year, while the southern route is being developed.
At the same time, Nematov emphasized the need to move beyond a purely transit role.
“If a container simply crosses the region, the economic benefit for our countries is limited to the transport tariff. Much greater returns emerge when industrial enterprises and logistics centers are established along the corridors, while processing, service, financial and digital services are developed. The region should become a hub for creating added value,” he said.
According to him, this approach should underpin further cooperation between Central Asia and international partners. This involves not only importing equipment and capital, but also transferring technologies and engineering expertise, establishing joint ventures, training personnel and integrating Central Asian producers into global value chains.
Speaking about Central Asia’s strategic autonomy, Nematov stressed that it does not imply distancing the region from the outside world.
“It is the ability to be maximally integrated into the international economy, expand partnerships and opportunities for cooperation, develop new markets, routes, sources of investment and technology, thereby strengthening the region’s resilience and expanding the space for independent choice,” he said.
In his assessment, amid fragmentation of the global system and the reconfiguration of international economic ties, Central Asia has an opportunity to become an active link in global value chains that produces, processes and creates added value.
During a separate session devoted to the parliamentary dimension of regional integration, Shakhlo Khamrakhodjaeva, a leading researcher at ISMI, said Central Asia had already achieved fundamental results, including significantly stronger political trust, a dense network of strategic partnership and allied relations, and expanded trade, investment and transport connectivity. The next task, she said, is to make this rapprochement sustainable and irreversible.
Khamrakhodjaeva noted that regional cooperation should be assessed not only by the number of agreements, trade volumes and infrastructure projects, but also by the extent to which its results are felt by ordinary people — whether jobs are being created, whether crossing borders and conducting business are becoming easier, whether access to education and medical care is improving, and whether living conditions in border areas are getting better.
In this regard, she highlighted the role of parliaments as institutions of public representation, oversight and continuous feedback between the state and society.
The ISMI expert also noted that strengthening the role of parliaments in ensuring sustainable and socially oriented development is one of the areas of President Mirziyoyev’s international initiatives. At Uzbekistan’s initiative, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2022 on enhancing the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In July 2026, it adopted a new resolution on enhancing the role of parliaments in accelerating social development, supported by 167 countries.
According to Khamrakhodjaeva, Central Asia has already established the necessary infrastructure for parliamentary cooperation, so the main focus should now be on the practical implementation of existing mechanisms. This includes strengthening the socially oriented regional agenda, parliamentary oversight of agreements and removing legal barriers to trade, transport, education, labor mobility and entrepreneurship.
As a further step, she proposed considering the establishment of a permanent interparliamentary coordinating body. Its tasks could include monitoring the implementation of regional agreements, assessing their social impact, holding joint hearings and helping resolve issues directly affecting citizens.
In her view, such a format could help strengthen the sustainability of the regional course, consolidate decisions reached at the level of heads of state, and ensure continuity and public support for the rapprochement process.
The discussions demonstrated broad convergence among representatives of Central Asian states in their assessment of international processes and the region’s future. Participants shared the view that further strengthening Central Asia’s agency is directly linked to maintaining an atmosphere of trust and good-neighborly relations, developing economic interdependence and transport connectivity, expanding public contacts and coordinating positions more closely.
Participants also emphasized the importance of an open and diversified cooperation model that expands the region’s opportunities and strengthens its resilience and autonomy.
European partners showed particular interest in the prospects for developing transport connectivity, industrial cooperation, human capital and sustainable production chains involving Central Asian countries.
According to the participants, amid the emergence of a polycentric world, Central Asia has a historic opportunity to establish itself as an independent, resilient and open region for cooperation and as a link between the largest economic spaces of Europe and Asia.
