Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Fifth Anniversary Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia, taking place in Dushanbe, confirmed the strong political will of the leaders of the countries of the region to comprehensively expand and deepen multilateral interstate cooperation.

In the context of increasing geopolitical turbulence, an important role was given to discussions of cooperation in ensuring peace, stability and strengthening cooperation in the field of security in the region.

In this regard, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev especially noted that the region urgently needs “a confidential exchange of views to develop collective decisions to prevent and counter common challenges and threats.”

For this purpose, the Leader of our country proposed an initiative to form a Regional System of Forecasting, Prevention, Early Warning and Joint Response to Emergency Situations.

The need to implement this system is also justified by data from the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). Thus, from 1999 to 2022, 184 natural disasters occurred in Central Asia, with the bulk of the damage occurring in Tajikistan (71.4%), Kazakhstan (10.2%) and Uzbekistan (5%).

The creation of the Regional System will intensify joint efforts to develop and deepen regional cooperation in disaster risk reduction, as well as increasing preparedness to respond to emergency situations, especially those of a transboundary nature.

The initiative also includes improved information sharing, joint risk assessment, and the implementation of programs and projects to minimize disaster damage and adapt to climate change, which contributes to faster responses to emergencies.

Such steps indicate the understanding of the Heads of States of Central Asia of the need to move to a new, higher-quality level of regional cooperation in the field of security, which meets the strategic and regional interests of each country.

In general, the Fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia demonstrated the readiness of the countries of the region to deepen cooperation in various areas, including security and risk management. This demonstrates the desire of Central Asian countries for closer cooperation that will help them successfully cope with the challenges of the future and ensure the well-being of their citizens.

Ilkhom Abdukarimov

Leading specialist of the International Institute of Central Asia