Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 21 July 2023, at the initiative of the International Institute of Central Asia (MICA), a round table was held on the topic: "Central Asia and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf: priorities and prospects".

The event was attended by heads of diplomatic missions and senior diplomats of the Gulf countries: Ambassador of Qatar - Hassan Hamza Hashim, Ambassador of Kuwait - Ahmad Khaled Al-Jiran, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates - Saeed Al-Kamzi, Chargé d’Affaires of the KSA Embassy - Yusuf Al-Utaibi and Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman - Abdul Rahim Al Balushi.

The countries of Central Asia were represented by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan B. Atamkulov, Counsellor-Envoy of the Embassy of Tajikistan S. Safarzoda and Counselor of the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan D. Niyazaliev.

The round table was also attended by the head of the leading state Center for Research and Information of Saudi Arabia M. al-Turki (online), representatives of national analytical centers and research institutes (Academy of Sciences, IACMO, CEIR, ISMI, Islamic Academy, etc.).

As part of the event, the participants discussed the results of the first summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) held on July 19-20, 2023 in Jeddah, exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation, and identified priority areas for strengthening ties between the regions.

During the speech, an exchange of views took place on promising areas of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the states of the Gulf in the field of politics, security, economy, trade, investment, energy, transport, agriculture, ecology, etc.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan B. Aloev noted that the President of Uzbekistan in his speech at the summit emphasized the deep historical interconnectedness of the peoples of Central Asia and the Gulf region, which is based on close trade relations, common values and traditions, the sacred religion of Islam.

Director of the Center for Russian-Arab Research and Information (Saudi Arabia) M. At-Turki highly appreciated the proposals of the President of Uzbekistan, especially in terms of building up economic cooperation, developing joint projects and creating an investment fund, and introducing a visa-free regime for visiting the country.

Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies B. Abdurahimov noted that the recent summit of the "Central Asia - Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf" opened up new opportunities for the Central Asian countries in cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian and tourism sphere.

Ambassador of Qatar Hassan Hashim noted that the rich historical heritage of our countries is the basis for the consistent building up of fruitful and effective ties between both regions.

Director of the Information and Analytical Center for International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan D. Kurbanov emphasized that the interest of the Arab countries of the Gulf in the development of "green" energy in Central Asia will help consolidate common efforts to protect climate interests.

According to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan B. Atamkulov, the intensification of cooperation between the states within the framework of Central Asia and the strengthening of the global significance of the region open up "new opportunities for expanding multifaceted interaction."

Sh. Fayziev, Deputy Director of MICA: “The results of the CA-GCC summit are extremely important both for our region and for the Gulf states. We can say with confidence that the dialogue between the leaders of the two large regions and the agreements reached will ensure the consistent strengthening and expansion of our multilateral ties.”

According to the UAE Ambassador S. Al-Kamzi, the desire of the Arab countries to raise close and fraternal relations with the states of Central Asia to a strategic level in all areas "reflects the ambitions of the leaders of our countries and serves the interests of the peoples."

According to the head of the Embassy of Kuwait, H. Al-Mutairat, the results of the summit confirm the aspirations of the leaders of states to strengthen political and strategic relations between the regions in various fields at the collective and bilateral levels.

A special dynamics of cooperation in recent years has been observed in relations between Uzbekistan and the GCC countries. It was emphasized that today the total portfolio of projects implemented in the country together with leading companies and banks exceeds $20 billion.

The need to build up cooperation in a wide range of areas of mutual interest was noted. Among the priorities are the creation of platforms and working mechanisms for cooperation in the field of innovation, "artificial" intelligence, "green" economy, digitalization, "smart" agriculture, nano- and biotechnologies, etc.

Over the past six years, cardinal changes have taken place in Central Asia. Thanks to the political will of the leaders of the states, investment cooperation has intensified in the region, the implementation of significant cooperation projects in trade, industry, energy, transport, agriculture, the cultural and humanitarian sphere and other sectors has begun.