Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 18 September 2024, a delegation from the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISMI), led by Deputy Director Bakhtiyor Mustafayev, participated in the first international Central Asia Forum “Blue Sky,” organized by the National Institute for Security Studies of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.

The forum brought together experts from leading analytical centers from Central Asia and Mongolia. Among the participants were representatives from the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies of Kazakhstan, the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Center for Strategic Research under the President of Tajikistan. Mongolia was represented by specialists from the Institute for Strategic Studies and the Fiscal Stability Council.

The main agenda of the forum was to discuss the prospects for expanding cooperation between Central Asian countries and Mongolia in the political, economic, and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

Mr. Mustafayev presented a report on the cooperation between Central Asian countries and Mongolia in combating climate challenges.

As highlighted by the expert, Central Asia and Mongolia are facing similar challenges related to climate change. In this context, ideas for potential collaboration in this area were proposed.

Firstly, the expert suggested establishing an exchange of practices on the implementation of water-saving technologies for the rational use of water resources.

Uzbekistan has implemented water-saving technologies on 1 million hectares out of more than 4 million hectares of irrigated land. These approaches have saved 2 billion cubic meters of water, equivalent to the annual consumption of an entire region in Uzbekistan. Thanks to these active measures, the country now ranks 7th in the world for the area of implemented water-saving technologies, following Israel, the USA, the Russian Federation, Spain, Brazil, and Italy.

Secondly, Mr. Mustafayev proposed developing a Joint Research Program on combating desertification.

In the five Central Asian countries, with a total area of approximately 400 million hectares, over 20% of the land is subject to degradation. One-third of the region’s population is already suffering from desertification. Central Asian states are working to address this issue both through regional cooperation and on international platforms.

In 2023, Samarkand hosted the first UN meeting on desertification, land degradation, and drought, which addressed the problem of dust and sand storms. Uzbekistan has successful experience in combating desertification on the bed of the Aral Sea.

In recent years, 1.7 million hectares of the dried seabed have been planted with saxaul and other desert plants, and green areas have increased by 2 million hectares.

Thirdly, the Deputy Director of the Institute believes it is important to enhance joint cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources through the advancement of “green” technologies.

Mongolia and Central Asian countries share similar goals in promoting green energy and possess significant potential for solar and wind energy. Additionally, the Central Asia region has large reserves of rare earth metals, the demand for which is steadily increasing in countries actively advocating for the “green agenda.”

In this context, the expert referred to research data from the Energy Research Center of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, which suggests that Central Asia will become a major global supplier of critical materials for clean energy technologies in the future.

Given these factors, the expert concluded that there are prospects for establishing cooperation in the construction of solar power plants and the production of key components for renewable energy development.

At the end of the forum, the Mongolian side expressed high interest in establishing and deepening cooperation with Central Asian countries. The need to strengthen trust and expand interaction at all levels was noted, including through active contact-building among experts, diplomats, and academic circles.

The National Institute for Security Studies, established in 2018, focuses on studying global and regional political and socio-economic trends, as well as traditional and non-traditional challenges and threats affecting Mongolia’s national security.