Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Relations among Central Asian countries have reached a fundamentally new stage of development over the past seven to eight years, thanks to firm political will and consistent high-level dialogue. This was stated by Abdulaziz Kamilov, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Foreign Policy, in an interview with Ishonch.uz.

“We live in an era where crises and conflicts can erupt suddenly, and their consequences are often hard to predict. Recently, the world watched with alarm as tensions sharply escalated between India and Pakistan — even the threat of nuclear weapons being used was seriously discussed. That is one of the gravest scenarios,” Kamilov said.

He stressed that good neighborliness cannot rely on gestures alone — it requires continuous work to prevent potential risks and challenges.

“Look at the situation in the Middle East. Despite numerous meetings, international negotiations, and the involvement of dozens of countries, the conflicts persist. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of civilians die there every day,” the diplomat noted.

He pointed out that since World War II, no post-Soviet region had experienced armed conflict on the scale we are witnessing today. “The world has become far less stable. All types of modern weaponry are being used, and casualties number in the thousands every week. A fair question arises: who ends up dragged into these conflicts most often? In the vast majority of cases — neighboring states,” Kamilov remarked.

Recalling recent regional history, he highlighted how tense relations among Central Asian countries were in 2016–2017. “We were approaching a dangerous threshold. Had we continued on the same course, the risk of military confrontation would have become almost inevitable,” he stated.

According to Kamilov, recognizing these threats laid the foundation for President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s foreign policy strategy, which from the outset prioritized Central Asia as Uzbekistan’s main foreign policy focus.

“There were many accumulated problems — and we must honestly admit, we played a role in creating many of them. Had we not found solutions back then, the consequences could have been tragic,” the presidential envoy emphasized.

He reminded that in 2017, President Mirziyoyev proposed regular consultative meetings of Central Asian leaders from the UN General Assembly podium. The initiative was supported by all countries in the region and became a critical step toward strengthening regional solidarity.

“Over the past six to seven years, we have resolved a number of complex and sensitive issues that once seemed nearly impossible to solve. To date, six regional summits have been held, and we are preparing to host the seventh in August in Tashkent. This is more than a series of meetings — it marks the beginning of a new era. Central Asia is increasingly asserting itself as a full-fledged participant in international affairs,” the former foreign minister concluded.