Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As previously reported, a Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of States will be held in Tashkent on 29 November 2019 - a format initiated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in order to maintain a regular confidential dialogue and develop agreed approaches on pressing regional issues.

The head of our state first announced the proposal to hold such meetings at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017.

At the international conference “Central Asia: One Past and a Common Future, Cooperation for the Sustainable Development and Mutual Prosperity” held in November of the same year in Samarkand, this idea was developed into a holistic program, the implementation of which allowed us to radically change the political atmosphere in the region.

The initiative of Uzbekistan to hold Consultative Summits was supported by all countries of the region, and the first meeting of the leaders of the Central Asian republics was held in Nur Sultan on 15 March 2018. It became a vivid example of the beginning of a new stage in relations between countries, contributed to the intensification and strengthening of cooperation, the removal of accumulated problems in relations between neighboring states.

Among the results achieved in recent years are positive shifts in the issue of delimitation and demarcation of state borders, which have become an important factor in ensuring peace, stability and security in Central Asia, the intensification of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian interaction, the resumption of air communications between the capitals of the republics, the opening of new control checkpoints and more.

Speaking about a new stage of cooperation in the region, it is impossible not to mention an important historical event - the adoption on 22 June 2018 of the UN General Assembly resolution “Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region”. The document, initiated by Uzbekistan, was developed jointly with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and unanimously supported by all UN member states.

The resolution positively assesses the major regional and international initiatives of the Central Asian states in the field of security and development, their commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation, deepening ties in the field of education, science, technology, innovation, tourism, culture, art and sports.

At the same time, the important role of the Central Asian countries in ensuring peace, stability and sustainable development in the region, as well as their efforts to counter modern challenges, is recognized, the results of the first Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States, held in March 2018 in Nur Sultan, are welcomed.

The course towards rapprochement is positively assessed by expert circles who call the processes taking place in the region “a new historical breakthrough,” “a new era in the new history of relations between Central Asian states,” “the success of Uzbek diplomacy and the new foreign policy of Uzbekistan.”

Experts emphasize that Central Asia, which for thousands of years facilitated dialogue and interpenetration of world cultures, languages ​​and religions, today, having significant energy and natural resource potential, unique transport and communication capabilities, is again gaining important geopolitical importance as one of the key elements in system of ensuring peace, stability, security and sustainable development of the entire Eurasian continent.

In this context, the upcoming meeting of the leaders of Central Asian countries in Tashkent is designed to be another important step towards strengthening mutual trust, as one of the main principles of regional cooperation between states, development of equal and mutually beneficial partnership for the well-being and prosperity of the peoples living on this vast space.