Uzbekistan, and in particular Tashkent, is becoming the venue for an important international forum, which should give a practical vector to a new format of interregional cooperation based on the traditions of centuries-old exchanges between the peoples of Central Asia and the Arab States of the Gulf and today's huge potential for mutually beneficial cooperation.
The first ministerial meeting of the Strategic Dialogue "Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf - Central Asia" was held on September 7, 2022 in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
The Foreign Ministers of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan discussed the current state and prospects for further strengthening relations between the Council countries and the Central Asian States in the fields of politics, security, trade and investment, education, health, culture, youth and sports.
Today, the States of Central Asia and the Gulf consider each other as reliable and long-term partners. All participants of the format are interested in expanding practical cooperation between the two regions in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Historical ties between the two regions serve as an important basis for the development and intensification of cooperation. Since ancient times, the peoples of Central Asia and the Gulf have maintained close trade relations, shared values and traditions. Of course, the holy religion of Islam is a powerful factor uniting our regions.
The prospects of the format were confirmed by the results of the first summit of the heads of State of Central Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council, held on July 19, 2023 in the Saudi city of Jeddah. The leaders of the countries approved a Joint Action Plan for 2023-2027, which defines long-term directions for mutually beneficial partnership.
Speaking at the summit, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed the role of the Gulf States, which possess huge economic, natural and intellectual resources, in ensuring global stability and energy security.
Based on the positive experience, the head of our state proposed to expand practical cooperation between the two regions in such areas as politics, technology and investment, green economy, strengthening trade and transport connectivity, ecology and climate change, tourism, culture and education. The initiatives put forward by the President of Uzbekistan were supported by all participating countries.
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf is a regional organization established on May 25, 1981. It includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia. This region is a key supplier of hydrocarbons and an influential global financial center.
The main purpose of the regional structure is to coordinate the processes of cooperation and integration in the political, trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian spheres, that is, to regulate such areas as economic and financial issues, education and culture, social problems and healthcare, media and tourism, legislation and administration. The Council also encourages scientific and technological development in the fields of industry, agriculture and water conservation.
It is worth noting that in recent years, Uzbekistan's relations with the Gulf states have reached a new level. Mutually beneficial cooperation is actively developing in all directions. The exchange of visits at the highest and highest levels has intensified, trade turnover with the GCC member countries is consistently growing, as is the number of joint projects being implemented. Among the key areas, it is worth noting the successful cooperation with such leading companies as ACWA Power, Masdar, Mubadala, TACA, Nebras Power, in partnership with which projects for the construction of solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of more than 15 gigawatts, as well as energy storage facilities are being implemented.
Today's meeting in Tashkent will certainly be another step by the parties towards unlocking each other's potential, strengthening the platform of mutual understanding, trusting dialogue and equal partnership between the states of the two dynamically developing regions.
IA "Dunyo".
