The President of Kazakhstan noted that the results of the consultative meetings brought regional cooperation to an unprecedented level, giving it a systemic, comprehensive and, most importantly, trusting character.

According to the Head of our state, cultural and humanitarian ties are constantly being filled with new high-quality content. The President emphasized that cross Culture Days, artisan exhibitions, national food festivals, youth forums and other events are held on a regular basis.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the heads of state are making great efforts to develop regional cooperation, including in the format of consultative meetings. Within the framework of Kazakhstan's chairmanship, a number of joint events were held aimed at strengthening security and economic partnership, enhancing the role of women in society, and expanding expert interaction.

– A landmark event in the context of improving the mechanisms of our interaction will be the approval today of the Roadmap for the Development of Regional Cooperation until 2027. The document is aimed at improving intergovernmental coordination and strengthening control over the implementation of initiatives put forward at this site. In addition, another important document aimed at developing regional cooperation "Central Asia - 2040" will be signed. These and other steps are evidence of a common commitment to comprehensive regional cooperation for the benefit of our peoples, - said the President of Kazakhstan.Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that in the current difficult geopolitical and economic realities, it is extremely important to maintain the high dynamics of cooperation in the region. He outlined a number of urgent tasks, the solution of which will contribute to the further progress of Central Asia.
The head of our state called on the presidents to concentrate all efforts to ensure that Central Asia remains a space of security, cooperation and prosperity.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named the formation of a solid economic base for multilateral cooperation as another urgent task. In recent years, tangible results have been achieved in this area. The volume of intraregional trade has been steadily increasing, reaching $11 billion. The head of state noted the importance of increasing trade turnover and bringing it to $15 billion in the foreseeable future.

– Joint large infrastructure and transport projects can become new growth points for the economies of our countries. There are already good examples of such mutually beneficial cooperation in the region. We are talking about the Kambarata HPP-1 in Kyrgyzstan, the Rogun HPP in Tajikistan, gas projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the construction of new transport corridors and a number of other important projects. The priority is the development of a network of trade, logistics and industrial hubs in border areas. It is necessary to reinforce our comprehensive partnership with new agreements in such promising sectors as agriculture, logistics, textile and chemical industries, construction, the President said.– A special place here is given to such projects as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the North-South Corridor, the Belt and Road Initiative, in which all Central Asian countries are involved to one degree or another. Thanks to joint efforts, the potential of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway is consistently increasing. Today, this is the shortest route to the Persian Gulf countries. We consider the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway, which opens access to the markets of South Asia, to be promising. Kazakhstan is carrying out large-scale internal work in the transport and transit sector. By 2030, our country plans to modernize 11 thousand km and build more than 5 thousand km of new railways, – the Head of State said. Another key issue on the regional agenda in his speech was the rational use of water and energy resources. The President of Kazakhstan believes that it is necessary to develop a new consolidated water policy based on equal and fair water use, strict fulfillment of mutual obligations. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan consistently advocates for the expansion of five-way cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, and human capital development. A single Central Asian higher education space is currently being formed.

– Today, about 9 thousand students from the region’s countries study in Kazakhstan. We highly appreciate the desire of young people from Central Asia to receive higher education in our country. Kazakhstan has established strategic partnerships with several dozen recognized universities from the USA, Europe, China, Russia, and South Korea. Branches of foreign educational institutions are consistently opening in many regions of Kazakhstan, and students are being actively recruited. The number of research universities is growing, technology parks and engineering centers are opening. We invite young people from the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus to use these opportunities and receive a sought-after double-degree education of international level, – the President said.
The head of state drew attention to the need to intensify interaction in the information and analytical sphere. He proposed instructing governments to begin work on creating joint media products.

– Particular emphasis should be placed on screening common historical stories, popularizing the friendship and solidarity of our peoples. We discussed the creation of a pan-regional TV channel or an Internet news portal. The development and signing of an agreement on cooperation in the field of television broadcasting in the countries of Central Asia remains relevant, noted Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
During the Consultative Meeting, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev also spoke.
In conclusion, the President of Kazakhstan wished President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev great success as the next chairman of the Consultative Meeting.

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translated by Qazalem