DUSHANBE, December 13, Asia-Plus — Senior representatives from the foreign ministries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Japan has gathered in Dushanbe for the third meeting of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue that opened at the Kokhi Vahdat State Complex in Dushanbe today.
The meeting participants include Keiji Katakami, special envoy of Japan’s MFA for Central Asia, Tuleujan Seksenbayev, deputy director of the Asian cooperation department of Kazakhstan’s MFA, Ermek Ibraimov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Ahmed Qurbanov, Turkmen Ambassador to Tajikistan, and Shukur Sabitov, head of the Asia-Pacific department of Uzbekistan’s MFA. Tajikistan is represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullo Yuldoshev.
According to Tajik MFA, the meeting participants are conducting three sessions to discuss a broad range of issues related to cooperation within the framework of the Dialogue.
They are in particular discussing ways of providing regional and international security, fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, demining operations in the territories of Central Asia’s states, etc.
The meeting is also expected to touch upon a number of other topical problems, such reduction of poverty, public health, reduction natural disaster risks, environmental protection, energy and tourism.
The major topic of the meeting is regional economic cooperation, development of trade and attraction of foreign investments in economies of the Central Asian countries.
The meeting participants are considering issues related to further expansion of regional transportation cooperation, development of transportation infrastructure, modernization of airports and oil-and-gas pipelines.
The meeting is also considering a concept of a future regional cooperation within the framework of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue.
The Central Asia plus Japan dialogue is a political initiative between Japan ad the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with the goal to create “a new framework for cooperation, thereby elevating relations between Japan and Central Asia to a new level.” The dialogue is also meant to serve as a forum to promote inter-regional cooperation. Turkmenistan, maintaining its policy of neutrality, participates only as an observer.
The dialogue was formally declared on August 28, 2004 in Astana, Kazakhstan at a meeting of foreign ministers from the four participating Central Asian governments and Japan. A joint statement was issued which outlined the parties” views on four areas: fundamental principles and values, expansion of Japanese-Central Asian relations, intra-regional cooperation within Central Asia, and cooperation in the international arena.
The statement also declared the dialogue”s main objectives: the strengthening of peace, stability, and democracy in the Central Asian region; the strengthening of the region’s economic foundations, the promotion of reform and the social development of the region, including the correction of intra-regional disparities; the strengthening of intra-regional cooperation by the Central Asian countries; the maintenance and development of good relations between Central Asia and neighboring regions as well as with the international community; and cooperation between Japan and Central Asia with respect to both regional issues and issues having international dimensions.
The joint statement also outlined several areas of potential Japanese-Central Asian cooperation.
