The First Ferghana Peace Forum kicks off in Ferghana: The Region Transforms into a Space for Goodneighborliness and Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The First Ferghana Peace Forum was held in Ferghana, intended to become a new regional platform for dialogue, trust-building, and cooperation among Central Asian countries.

The forum was organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the OSCE, the European Union, as well as a number of international and national partners.

The forum brought together experts from leading think tanks across the CIS, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, alongside representatives from civil society, business, academia, and youth activists from Central Asian countries.

The Ferghana Valley, once frequently associated with tension and conflict, is today emerging as a space of trust, dialogue, and constructive collaboration.

For centuries, the valley has served as a crossroads of civilizations, where trade routes, cultures, and religions intersected. However, the 20th and early 21st centuries brought challenges: closed borders, fragmented communities, and distrust among neighbors.

Today, thanks to the political will of the region’s leaders, this chapter of history is being rewritten. National borders are gradually transforming into bridges of cooperation, and the Ferghana Valley itself is becoming a symbol of a new era for Central Asia.

Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, emphasized that the forum is not merely a platform for discussions but a step toward shaping a new philosophy of regional coexistence.

He recalled the words of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, delivered at the 80th anniversary session of the UN General Assembly:

"The era of closed borders, unresolved disputes, and conflicts in Central Asia is a thing of the past. Today, the process of forming a New Central Asia has begun."

"For decades, the Ferghana Valley was perceived as a zone of complex contradictions. Today, it is becoming an example of how to overcome the historical legacy of mistrust through good neighborliness, openness, and shared creativity," Eldor Aripov noted.

According to him, "the forum is an attempt to consolidate this process and transform it into a long-term strategy for mutual understanding and sustainable development."

Eldor Aripov stated that the key to the success of the President of Uzbekistan's policy in Central Asia was his "strategic vision, political will, belief in dialogue, and the ability to reach compromises even on the most pressing issues with his closest neighbors."

The forum will mark the beginning of a new tradition—annual meetings of representatives of the three countries aimed at exchanging experiences, developing joint initiatives, and promoting ideas of regional solidarity.

The Path to the Future: Central Asia as a Region of Peace and Shared Growth

The event is expected to conclude with the adoption of a communiqué that will embody the collective determination of the regional countries to reinforce mutual trust, deepen humanitarian connections, and foster an enabling environment for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

We are confident that only together can we build a future in which borders cease to be lines of division and become lines of connection.

Ferghana is not just a valley. It is a mirror of Central Asia. If there is peace here, it will spread throughout the region. If trust emerges here, it will become the new norm for all of Eurasia," Eldor Aripov emphasized.