Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 14-15 May, the 13th Central Asian Trade Forum (CATF) was held in Almaty on the topic “Trade integration: reaching the global level.” 

The event was organized by the US Agency for International Development USAID together with the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). 

The purpose of the forum is to expand trade cooperation and strengthen ties between the countries of Central Asia, through the digitalization of trade procedures, optimization of transport and logistics processes, standardization of customs clearance and harmonization of trade regulation, in accordance with WTO standards. 

The event was attended by more than 300 representatives of business and government agencies from Central Asia, the Middle East, Great Britain and the USA. 

The forum also included a trade exhibition with the participation of more than 40 companies from Central Asian countries and the 11th Regional Meeting of National Committees for Trade Facilitation, which was attended by business leaders and officials from the countries of the region. 

Opening the forum, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator at USAID Z. Salahi noted that over the past 10 years, more than 10 thousand representatives of government and commercial structures from 25 countries have taken part in CATF events. 

According to her, this forum will help shape the future of trade in Central Asia and promote inclusive, integrated economic growth that will benefit the entire society.

In this regard, the experts who spoke highly appreciated the role of the Head of State of Uzbekistan, who from the first days of his election has been pursuing an active course towards the unification and integration of the Central Asian region. 

At the same time, analysts emphasized the significant role in this process of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of States of Central Asia, which laid a new paradigm for interstate relations and created the basis for strengthening the unity of the region.

In turn, the director of MICA, speaking at the first session “Entering New Markets,” explained in detail to the forum participants the goals of the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan and the initiatives of the Head of State put forward within the framework of the KVGCA, which are aimed primarily at the further development of trade and investment cooperation between countries of the region.

As a result of the efforts of all Central Asian countries, over the past 6-7 years, the total GDP of the region’s countries has grown by 70% and exceeded $450 billion. The volume of intraregional trade has reached $11 billion, having increased more than 2.5 times over the past 10 years. The total foreign trade turnover of the Central Asian countries has reached $225 billion, which is almost twice as much as 7 years ago. 

Despite the positive dynamics, the director of MICA emphasized that the lack of transport connectivity of the countries in the region acts as a limiting factor in 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.

In this regard, according to him, the remaining barriers in the transport system do not provide an opportunity for the active inclusion of the region in global value chains.

To further expand trade between the countries of the region, experts noted the importance of combining efforts to implement such important projects that unite the region, such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway, as well as the Middle Corridor connecting the Central Asian region with Europe.

The implementation of these projects will contribute to the transformation of Central Asia into a key transit hub in Eurasia. In particular, the implementation of the Trans-Afghan route, initiated by the Leader of Uzbekistan, can reduce the delivery time of goods to Pakistan by about 5 days and reduce transport costs by at least 40%.

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