The event was organized by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISMI), the Institute for Advanced International Studies at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey (USA).

Opening the forum, E. Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISMI), presented an assessment of the development of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ), noting key achievements, current challenges and priorities for further strengthening regional security.

He stressed that over the past two decades, the NWFZ has proven its effectiveness as a mechanism for ensuring regional security, strategic predictability and trust between the Central Asian states. According to him, it has become an example of successful cooperation between the countries of the region, which have managed to build a sustainable model of interaction based on common commitments.

E.Aripov recalled that the initiative to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone was put forward by Uzbekistan in 1993 at the UN General Assembly. Its practical implementation was the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty in 2006, which consolidated the commitment of the States of the region to the principles of peace, stability and good neighborliness.

According to the director of the ISMI, the special importance of the CAC is determined by its unique status. This is the world's first nuclear-weapon-free zone located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and bordering two nuclear powers at once. The receipt by the States of the region of guarantees of non-use and non-threat of use of nuclear weapons has strengthened the strategic stability of Central Asia.

At the same time, the head of the ISMI stressed that the anniversary of the NWFZN should be not only an occasion to summarize the results, but also an opportunity to rethink the new realities of international security. Today, the arms control system is experiencing a deep crisis: the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles has been terminated, uncertainty remains around the future of START III, and NPT review conferences are increasingly ending without final documents.

"The world around us has not become more predictable. On the contrary, geopolitical tensions have increased, nuclear rhetoric has intensified, and the level of trust between the leading powers has noticeably decreased," Aripov said. According to him, it is in these conditions that the role of regional security mechanisms is increasing, ensuring predictability, legal guarantees and trust.

The head of the ISMI stated that today the nuclear-weapon-free status should be considered not only as an international legal obligation, but also as an element of the strategic identity of Central Asia. Its sustainability depends on the practical implementation of the commitments made through cooperation with the IAEA, training of specialists, development of national regulatory mechanisms, as well as ensuring transparency and verification.

Special attention was paid in the speech to the development of peaceful nuclear energy. Uzbekistan is implementing a program to create a nuclear industry, Kazakhstan retains its position as one of the world's largest uranium producers, and Central Asia is becoming an important transport and logistics hub in Eurasia. At the same time, radiological, infrastructural and environmental risks are increasing.

"That is why today it is necessary to move from the traditional nonproliferation agenda to effective risk management," the Director of ISMI emphasized. Among the priorities, he named physical protection of facilities, cross-border information exchange, personnel training and improvement of monitoring and response mechanisms. At the same time, verification and transparency remain the foundation of long-term stability.

Summing up, E. Aripov noted that Central Asia has already gone from a nuclear testing region to a nuclear-weapon-free zone. The next strategic stage should be the formation of a full-fledged nuclear safety culture. He expressed confidence that the dialogue would make it possible to develop practical recommendations for further strengthening regional security and developing cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy.

The forum was attended by over 50 representatives of Uzbekistan and the United States. Among them are heads and leading experts of government agencies, analytical centers, as well as specialists from research organizations in the field of nuclear safety, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of atomic energy.

In particular, former representatives of the Presidential Administration and the National Security Council of the United States, scientists and analysts in the field of international relations from such leading universities as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Oxford and Cambridge were invited.

The Uzbek side was represented by the leadership and experts of the Committee on Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety under the Cabinet of Ministers, the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, ISMI, CEIR, IMRI, CVPI, MICA, HSE, UMED.