DUSHANBE, November 12, 2012, Asia-Plus — AFP (French news agency) reports that Japan pledged to launch projects worth $700 million in Central Asia to help the resource-rich region promote trade, energy-saving and regional cooperation in stabilizing nearby Afghanistan.
The commitment reportedly followed the meeting in Tokyo on Saturday (November 10) between foreign ministers from Japan and five Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
“We had frank discussions to help build a stronger, richer and more open Central Asia,” Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told reporters after the meeting, the fourth edition of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, which started in Kazakhstan in 2004.
According to a joint statement, the projects will cover five areas — trade investment, environment and energy-saving, narrowing the wealth gap, regional cooperation in stabilizing Afghanistan and cooperation in disaster prevention.
“Promoting cooperation between Japan and Central Asia will contribute to help sustain peace and stability in Afghanistan and resolve problems in the international community,” said Gemba in an opening speech at the meeting.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the visiting ministers on November 9: “I place importance on Central Asia which is placed in a geopolitically important position and rich in resources and energy.”
Tokyo wants Japanese firms to play a greater role in the mineral business in the region, which has ample reserves of crude oil, natural gas, uranium and other natural resources, media reports said.
The Central Asia plus Japan dialogue is a political initiative between Japan and 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, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, 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.
Japan”s efforts in creating the “Central Asia plus Japan” dialogue are part of its “Silk Road diplomacy”, a term used for Japan”s current Central Asia policy. This policy has two distinct goals: to further enhance bilateral relationships in the region; and to promote regional dialogue. The “Central Asia plus Japan” initiative is an attempt to encourage the latter.
International analysts have said that Japanese efforts in the realm of regional integration and cooperation, especially with regard to Afghanistan, are helpful and complement the efforts of other groups such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It has also been suggested that the “Central Asia plus Japan” dialogue, along with the development of bilateral relations between Japan and the Central Asian countries, will help provide the region with an alternative to the growing influence of the SCO.
