Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Informal Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan

Dear Sadyr Nurgozhoevich!

Distinguished heads of state!

I am sincerely grateful to the President of Kyrgyzstan, esteemed Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov, for the initiative to hold our informal meeting and for the warm welcome on the shores of the “Kyrgyz Sea” – the beautiful Issyk-Kul.

During these two days in Kyrgyzstan, I was impressed by the results of the large-scale reforms being carried out under your leadership.

The country demonstrates high rates of economic development, and its international prestige is steadily growing.

We congratulate you and the brotherly people on the election of Kyrgyzstan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Gurbangulyyevich Berdimuhamedov, for his effective chairmanship of the Consultative Meetings.

Dear participants of the summit!

Today we have gathered on the eve of the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the independence of our states.

Over these years, every country has followed its own unique and distinctive path toward statehood, economic growth, and national revival.

Thanks to joint efforts, Central Asia, once divided, is now consolidating in pursuit of shared development goals.

At the same time, the complex and unpredictable international reality requires further decisive actions and closer coordination from us.

The accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the format of Consultative Meetings brings our interaction to a qualitatively new, macro-regional level.

We are facing a historic opportunity to form a unified development space that links Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and our close neighbor, Afghanistan.

It is necessary to make full use of this opportunity and, through joint efforts, lay a solid foundation for sustainable development, connectivity, and good neighborliness in the heart of Eurasia.

Dear colleagues!

The time has come to form a sustainable architecture of regional interaction. Its construction should be based on effective cooperation institutions, close contacts between sectoral agencies, direct regional ties, and long-term joint programs in key development areas.

We should strengthen coordination within intergovernmental organizations and “Central Asia Plus” formats, thereby enhancing international standing of our region.

Further practical steps are required to strengthen trade, economic, and transport connectivity, enhance end-to-end industrial and technological chains, develop common digital services, and launch investment platforms.

Central Asia should become a competitive hub for education, science, and innovation in the field of big data. This can be achieved through the creation of an integrated infrastructure combining human resources, artificial intelligence technologies, data centers and energy capacities.

Protecting environment has always been, and continues to be a key priority of the regional agenda.

The challenges emerging in our shared natural environment do not recognize national borders, and therefore our response to them must be collective.

This summer’s extreme heat has once again demonstrated that climate change is already becoming a factor with a direct impact on the economy, water and energy security, public health, and quality of life. It is essential to develop long-term solutions for our collective adaptation to these emerging risks.

The humanitarian dimension remains one of enduring priorities of our cooperation. For centuries, our peoples have lived side by side, developed trade relations, exchanged knowledge and cultural traditions.

As modern cooperation deepens, our sense of common belonging is also strengthening. While preserving the unique national identity of our peoples, a common regional identity is gradually taking shape.

I am confident that the qualitative renewal of the substance of our work in this area will further strengthen the sense of unity, solidarity, and mutual understanding among our peoples.

Dear friends!

I fully support the initiatives and proposals voiced today to further strengthen our cooperation.

I take this opportunity to wish the esteemed President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev, and the entire Kazakh people a successful holding of the upcoming elections to the new Kurultai.

In conclusion, I would like to once again emphasize my deep conviction that our common strength lies in unity, mutual trust, and a firm commitment to working together to create and build better future.

I wish everyone robust health, peace, and new successes, and the peoples of our countries – well-being and prosperity.