Unleashing the potential of the youth of Central Asian countries is the key to the future of the entire region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Strengthening the interconnectedness and joint efforts of the Central Asian countries is one of the tools to achieve the goals of common good and regional stability. A vivid example of this is the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of States of Central Asia.

For the first time, the idea of creating Consultative Meetings of the Heads of States of Central Asia was announced in September 2017 by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

Today, the city of Cholpon-Ata hosted the fourth Consultative Meeting, during which topical issues of the current agenda of the regional partnership were discussed.

It is gratifying that at the current Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia, the topic of youth, given that this is the future of our countries and the entire region, has become one of the most relevant.

It should be noted that this issue was raised during the third Consultative Meeting in Turkmenistan in 2021, when the Leader of Uzbekistan proposed to hold the Central Asian Youth Forum.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan separately focused on the fruitful results of the Central Asian Youth Forum, which was successfully held in May 2022 in our country, the main result of which was the formation of a platform for building trust and friendship, an interactive dialogue between government representatives and the youth of our countries.

It was noted that at this forum, talented youth discussed current projects and programs for the younger generation of our region, as well as issues of strengthening and strengthening interaction in the field of information technology and cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.

As a result of the forum, youth representatives of all five countries called for the creation of a community of intellectual youth in Central Asia.

In order to give the issue a specific character, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to prepare a multilateral Agreement on the general directions of youth policy for the next Consultative Meeting, which will be held in September 2023 in Tajikistan. This will be an important step in building a platform for building confidence and friendship, interactive dialogue between representatives of governments and the youth of our countries.

In general, it is expected that the conclusion of this Agreement will contribute to bringing regional cooperation to a qualitatively new level, contributing to the development of common approaches in the field of youth policy and defining it as a priority.

Zulfiya Turanazarova

Leading Research Fellow of MICA