On November 15, Tashkent became the center of attraction for representatives of think tanks, civil society institutions from Central Asian countries and international experts.

On this day, the Central Asian Expert Forum took place. More than a hundred public and political figures, representatives of the expert community and mass media from the countries of the region discussed the current issues and challenges of regional cooperation in a constructive dialogue format to develop a consolidated position of the expert community on the key areas of sustainable development in the region.

As noted, in recent years, a positive trend of building confidence, interaction and cooperation in Central Asia is emerging. This is a huge common asset. This is the contribution of all countries. The acute intra-regional problems of security, state borders and water use are being systematically solved. Four consultative meetings of heads of Central Asian states were held.

Transformation and openness, cooperation and compromises promoted the intensification of relations between leaders of the countries of the region, dialogues of heads of governments and foreign policy agencies. All republics have benefited from the growing pace of cooperation.

For example, between 2016 and 2021, the total foreign trade turnover of Central Asian countries grew by 54 percent, reaching $167 billion. Intraregional trade showed a threefold growth. The number of joint ventures increased fivefold. Investment in Central Asia rose from 1.6 percent to 2.5 percent of the world total, reaching $34.3 billion in 2021. At the same time, mutual investments tripled. As a result, the overall regional GDP grew by 20 percent to 329 billion dollars.

In the transitional period of large-scale transformations and development of the region, expertise on a variety of issues is needed. The processes of integration and rapprochement in the region are shaping a new agenda. Development by governments, parliaments and other structures of long-term strategies and concepts on development of one or another sector, regional cooperation require expert support. One of the best options is to use the potential of think tanks operating in Central Asia.

National and foreign experts considered aspects of participation of analytical and research centers in ensuring sustainable development in the countries of Central Asia, identifying new areas of cooperation, and developing practical proposals and recommendations. According to their opinion, think tanks can play a key role in strengthening mutual trust in the region, development of common approaches and responses to modern challenges in Central Asia.

Participants noted that a region-wide independent expert network could represent a second dimension in the system of analysis of the situation in Central Asia, along with the first dimension represented by state think tanks, relevant ministries and agencies. For the most part, it is the research centers that provide ideas and proposals to the governments of the United States and Japan, which cooperate with the Central Asian states within the C5+1 formats, as well as to the EU, which is implementing its new Central Asia Strategy.

In an effort to meet the growing demand in the region for non-governmental expert assessment, the forum participants came up with an initiative to create an expert network on the platform of Independent Expert Alliance of Central Asia, whose unique specialization will be the study of key processes in Central Asia at the all-regional level.

The establishment of a permanent independent expert platform will allow discussing the topical issues of regional cooperation in the format of a trusting, constructive and open dialogue, addressing common challenges in Central Asia.

At the end of the event, the participants adopted a resolution on the establishment of the Central Asian Network of Expert Analysts Promoting the Ideas of Regional Cooperation and Sustainable Development in Central Asia.

The event was organized by the Nationwide Movement Yuksalish jointly with the Senate of Oliy Majlis with the assistance of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation representation office for Central Asia.

Press Service of the Nationwide Movement Yuksalish