Prospects for regional cooperation between Central Asia and Afghanistan discussed in Kabul

The forum became a logical continuation of the ministerial consultative dialogue "Central Asia + Afghanistan", which was held on April 5 this year in Kabul at the level of foreign ministries. Earlier, on the sidelines of the Termez Dialogue on Interconnectedness between Central and South Asia, an expert meeting of the Central Asia + Afghanistan format was held, during which approaches to holding and substantive content of the Kabul forum were discussed.

Representatives of the National Institutes for Strategic Studies under the heads of State and foreign ministries of Central Asia and Afghanistan, the academic and expert community, research centers, as well as the diplomatic corps of the countries of the region gathered to participate in the event in Kabul.

The agenda was complex. The discussion covered issues of political dialogue and regional stability, security, economic cooperation, development of transport and energy interconnectedness. Special attention was paid to the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties and climate issues.

Addressing the participants of the expert dialogue, Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaki welcomed the holding of the first Central Asia-Afghanistan Think Tank Forum, calling it an important step towards institutionalizing regional dialogue. He noted that Central Asia and Afghanistan are united by a common destiny, interests and responsibility for the future of the region, and therefore today it is time to independently determine the guidelines for the development of the common space and to act as authors of their own regional agenda. According to the head of Afghan diplomacy, the key areas should be the development of collective responses to climate challenges and the promotion of regional connectivity projects, including CASA-1000, TAPI and trans-Afghan transport routes. Muttaki expressed confidence that the Central Asia-Afghanistan expert platform will become an important mechanism for strengthening cooperation, increasing mutual trust and forming a common vision for the future of the region.

In turn, Abdul Hai Kanit, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, stressed that an important paradigm shift in approaches to Afghanistan is taking place in the region - from viewing the country primarily through the prism of security threats to considering it as an integral participant in the processes of regional development and interconnectedness. He noted that Uzbekistan plays a significant role in promoting this approach, consistently advocating the constructive involvement of Afghanistan in regional processes. According to the expert, today a consensus is emerging among the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan in favor of pragmatic cooperation based on dialogue, engagement and the search for common development opportunities.

Speaking at the forum, Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, stated that modern approaches to Afghanistan are becoming more pragmatic and focused on finding practical solutions. The expert argued that the international experience of recent years has shown the failure of the policy of isolating Afghanistan while waiting for its internal stabilization. In this regard, he pointed out the need to move towards a systematic and constructive partnership.

It was emphasized that today the question is not whether to interact with Afghanistan or not, but what kind of interaction should be situational or systemic, focused on the formation of a long-term security and development architecture. In this context, it was emphasized that Uzbekistan's policy proceeds from the need to constructively involve Afghanistan in regional processes and form a sustainable model of cooperation based on mutual responsibility and common interests.

A.Nematov stated that Uzbekistan's approach to Afghanistan has changed significantly in recent years: from perceiving it primarily through the prism of risks to considering it as an important participant in the emerging space of Central and South Asia and an integral element of the regional security and development system.

It was emphasized separately that "the emphasis on the economic component is not only for the sake of commercial gain. We are talking about forming a kind of peacemaking development dividend." According to the representative of the ISMI, "the more joint projects, energy networks, transport corridors and trade links there are, the greater the interest of all participants in maintaining peace and stability."

In this regard, the speaker urged not to limit oneself exclusively to bilateral cooperation, but to proceed to the formation of a full-fledged regional cooperation architecture.

"Our region is able to go beyond the role imposed on it as a transit territory, periphery and buffer between centers of power and form a model of interaction capable of changing the place of our common space in the global economy and global politics," the expert said.

According to him, "we are talking about the transition to a model in which Central and South Asia become not an object of external processes, but an independent center of development - an important production and logistics hub of Eurasia and an integral link in global value chains."

It was particularly noted that the second meeting of the Termez Dialogue on Interconnectedness between Central and South Asia, held in early June, with the participation of a representative delegation from Afghanistan, was devoted to this task.

A.Nematov emphasized that modern Central Asia today is a consolidated region with its own development strategy based on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual trust, economic cooperation and strengthening regional subjectivity.

"Central Asia has proven from its own experience that even the most difficult issues can be resolved through dialogue, compromise and consideration of mutual interests," he said.

The expert expressed his conviction that for the first time in many decades, conditions are emerging for the formation of a single cooperation space between Central and South Asia. In this regard, he urged not to miss this historic opportunity and use the current positive dynamics to launch long-term processes that will determine the development of the region for many years to come.

A. Nematov stressed that Uzbekistan considers Afghanistan as one of the key partners in the formation of a new model of regional cooperation and is open to its constructive involvement in regional processes. Accordingly, Afghanistan should also take into account the interests of neighboring States and contribute to the formation of a stable, predictable and favorable regional environment.

"Only on this basis is it possible to build a common architecture of security, development and prosperity that meets the interests of all the peoples of Central and South Asia," it was stated during the speech.

In general, the forum participants confirmed that the Central Asia-Afghanistan format is becoming an important element of the emerging regional architecture of cooperation, complementing the political dialogue with an expert dimension.

At the end of the meeting, the parties formulated specific proposals on priority areas and the implementation of joint projects aimed at ensuring long-term stability, sustainable development and interconnectedness in Central and South Asia.

It was also stressed that the Kabul Forum will become a regular platform for developing practical recommendations on regional security, connectivity and sustainable development.

The parties expressed their readiness to further deepen expert cooperation and coordinate efforts aimed at building trust, developing interconnectedness and shaping a long-term architecture of stability and development in the region.