Central Asian Leaders Unite in Astana for Bold Regional Trade Initiatives

The August 9 summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, marked a significant step in fostering regional cooperation among the leaders of all five Central Asian states and neighboring Caspian nation Azerbaijan.

"Sustainable development" was the key focus of the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, hosting the event, emphasized the region’s vast potential: “We are jointly shaping a new image of Central Asia as a region of great opportunities, looking to the future. Given our combined potential, we can make a significant contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda.”

This plan would include the creation of a single information platform to facilitate data analysis and exchange among the five Central Asian countries.

Uzbekinstan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reinforced this vision, describing Central Asia as a "space of good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation, and sustainable development."

This optimistic outlook reflects a collective ambition to enhance trade within Central Asia and beyond, leveraging the so-called Middle Corridor to link China with Western markets. President Tokayev highlighted the proactive efforts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in removing trade barriers and modernizing border checkpoints to facilitate faster freight transit: “Trade, economic, and investment cooperation is developing dynamically.”

A U.S.-sponsored initiative, the B5+1 process, aims to further boost trade flows within the region. However, experts caution that while agreements have been reached, their efficient implementation remains an open question.

A standout trade initiative for 2024 is the “green power plan” by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, targeting the export of solar and wind-generated electricity across the Caspian Sea to Western markets. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in his address to the assembly, stated, “Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia are a single historical, cultural, and geopolitical space of increasing strategic importance.”

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the region’s two largest economies, are leading the charge in promoting regional economic cooperation and integration. Ahead of the regional summit, Presidents Tokayev and Mirziyoyev signed over a dozen agreements to streamline border controls and boost agricultural trade. Tokayev noted, “The volume of trade in this [agricultural] sector reached $1.7 billion, about a third of the total trade volume. Kazakhstan is interested in supplies of socially significant food products from Uzbekistan. In turn, we will continue to export flour, wheat, and other products to our Uzbek partners.”

The two leaders, launching the Kazakh-Uzbek Supreme Interstate Council, have set an ambitious target to double their annual bilateral trade volume to $10 billion in the coming years. The council will focus on enhancing trade systems and addressing environmental concerns, particularly the integrated and rational use of transboundary river water resources, which is crucial for sustainable economic development.