Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 12-13 June, the 10th annual regional forum of CAMCA (Central Asia-Mongolia-Caucasus-Afghanistan) was held in Bishkek on the theme “CAMCA’s path forward: advancement through innovation and strengthening intraregional ties.”

The event was organized by CAMCA, the Institute of Central Asia and the Caucasus and the Rumsfeld Foundation together with the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The CAMCA Forum is one of the first and only platforms that brings together representatives of 10 countries in the CAMCA region: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

The main topics of discussion at the forum were intraregional trade, transport and transit, regional business and investment, economic development, entrepreneurship and innovation, human capital and education.

More than 70 high-level speakers from different countries of the region and beyond spoke at the forum, and more than 250 experts and specialists from 22 countries took part.

Opening the forum, the Chairman of the Institute of Central Asia and the Caucasus, Dr. F. Starr, noted the growing interest in Central Asia from the world community. In his opinion, the increasingly popular “CA+” formats clearly show that the region is increasingly viewed as a single integration association.

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic E. Baysalov noted that in the region where about 80 million people live, thanks to the efforts

The head of Uzbekistan formed a completely new political atmosphere, which made it possible to transform the course of development of Central Asia in a creative direction.

All this was the result of restoring constructive dialogue, strengthening good neighborliness and building mutually beneficial partnerships between the states of Central Asia, and the ongoing regional changes have become systemic and irreversible.

MICA Director Javlon Vakhabov, speaking at the first session dedicated to the geopolitical and geo-economic prospects of the region, explained in detail to the forum participants the essence of the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan and the initiatives of the Head of State put forward within the framework of the KVGGCA, and aimed, first of all, at the further development of trade and investment cooperation between countries in the region.

Thanks to this, the last 6-7 years have become a historical period of economic development in Central Asia, characterized by stable and sustainable growth, which is confirmed by key macroeconomic indicators (the region’s GDP grew by 70%, exceeding US$450 billion).

At the same time, as the director of MICA noted, despite the positive dynamics, the lack of transport connectivity of the countries in the region acts as a powerful constraint on the development of economies, where, according to the World Bank, the share of costs for transporting goods to foreign markets can reach 50% of the final cost of goods.

Analysts emphasized the importance of helping to develop Central Asia’s transport infrastructure to further expand trade, improve transport links and promote projects that will contribute to regional integration.

According to experts, the implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is an important element of the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor.

At the same time, the development of institutional mechanisms to ensure a unified approach to the development of the Middle Corridor, as well as expanding the participation of the private sector in the development of this corridor, will allow the countries of the region to jointly develop infrastructure, effectively use resources and create a favorable environment for attracting investment and business development.

In general, the event confirmed the relevance of the expert and analytical forum and the interest of all its participants in continuing the exchange of knowledge, experience and ideas for the further development of cooperation between CAMCA member countries.