Foreign ministers of Central Asia’s nations met in Tashkent at the end of the last week to discuss preparations for the upcoming informal Central Asian summit, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
The meeting participant included foreign ministers of Tajikistan (Sirojiddin Muhriddin), Uzbekistan (Abdulaziz Kamilov, Kazakhstan (Mukhtar Tleuberdi), Kyrgyzstan (Chingiz Aidarbekov) and Turkmenistan (Rashid Meredov).
They reportedly discussed issues related to expansion of regional cooperation and the process of preparations for the upcoming informal summit scheduled for November 29.
The meeting participants noted that a principally new atmosphere of friendship, cooperation and mutual trust had formed in the Central Asian region.
The ministers reportedly pointed out dynamic growth of trade turnover, intensification of work on development of the transport and communication network, and the launch of new land and air routes connecting the countries of the region.
They also discussed the agenda of the upcoming second informal meeting of the presidents of the Central Asian nations, which is expected to include issues of trade and economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation as well as development of the regional transport infrastructure.
The holding of the second regional summit was initiated by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the first regional summit that took place in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on March 15 last year.
Presidents of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as well as Turkmen Parliament Speaker participated in the first summit.
Central Asian experts consider that geographic factors could turn Uzbekistan into a vehicle for regional cooperation because it borders all four other Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — as well as Afghanistan.
