Tengrinews.kz - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called on the presidents of Central Asian countries to focus their efforts on ensuring that Central Asia remains a region of security, cooperation, and prosperity.
The VI Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State is taking place in Astana. During his speech, Tokayev emphasized the need to build a strong economic foundation for multilateral cooperation. Notable progress has been made in this area, with intra-regional trade volume reaching 11 billion dollars. The President highlighted the importance of increasing trade volume to 15 billion dollars in the future.
"New growth aeas for our countries' economies could include large-scale joint infrastructure and transportation projects. There are already good examples of such mutually beneficial cooperation in the region, including the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Station in Kyrgyzstan, the Rogun Hydropower Station in Tajikistan, gas projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and the construction of new transport corridors. Developing networks of trade-logistics and industrial hubs in border areas should be a priority. We need to strengthen our comprehensive partnership with new agreements in promising sectors such as agriculture, logistics, textiles, chemical industries, and construction," said the President of Kazakhstan.
Tokayev also expressed support for the proposal to establish a Business Council for Central Asian countries.
The Central Asian countries are expected to sign a document aimed at enhancing regional cooperation. Tokayev stressed that maintaining a high level of cooperation in the current complex geopolitical and economic environment is crucial for the continued progress of Central Asia.
The VI Consultative Meeting also featured speeches from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
