Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — One of the key political events in the region this week was the second "Central Asia – Germany" summit held in Astana, which played a significant role in expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between Central Asia and Germany.

The meetings and negotiations focused on deepening cooperation in various sectors, including the economy, investment, climate change, transportation, energy, and others.

To further develop comprehensive cooperation between Central Asia and Germany, the President of Uzbekistan proposed several new initiatives and suggestions.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev placed special emphasis on strengthening partnerships in the transportation sector. He stated, "The biggest barrier to deepening our partnership is the underdevelopment of transportation communications, including both land and air routes."

Thus, he highlighted the enhancement of connectivity as a priority for long-term cooperation, with significant regional importance. In this context, he proposed organizing a ministerial conference in 2025 to explore ways to increase the transit potential of routes connecting Central Asia with Europe.

This initiative aims to jointly develop a long-term strategic program for the development of transport and communication connectivity between Central Asia and Europe, including the Trans-Caspian multimodal route.

In light of the disruption of traditional trade and transport-logistics supply chains, the demand for secure and shorter transport corridors is growing. In this regard, the development of the Trans-Caspian corridor could boost trade between Central Asia and Europe.

For example, last year, the volume of goods transported via the Middle Corridor increased by 65%, reaching 2.7 million tons (compared to 1.7 million tons in 2022). Experts estimate that by 2025, its capacity could reach 10 million tons.

Uzbekistan’s transport strategy until 2035 identifies the Trans-Caspian International Route as one of the key priorities for the republic’s development. Currently, Uzbekistan transports 10% of its foreign trade goods through this corridor.

Uzbekistan also places great importance on connecting the "Uzbekistan – Kyrgyzstan – China" railway project with the Trans-Caspian multimodal route, which would create a unified transit system between Europe and Asia amid the congestion of maritime routes, increased risks of destabilization, and the reorientation of freight flows.

Overall, cooperation in the transport and communication sector is one of the key components of the relationship between Central Asia and Germany.

On one hand, Berlin can play a special role in attracting European institutions to develop alternative transport corridors connecting Central Asia with Europe. Today, Germany ranks among the top 12 countries in the world for logistics development. More goods pass through Germany than any other country in Europe, and it holds about a quarter of the European logistics market.

On the other hand, as one of the key drivers of the EU economy, Germany is interested in intensifying trade between Central Asia and global value chains. German companies are eager to invest in expanding production abroad, particularly in global sectors with high production and sales chains (such as automotive, electronics, and chemicals). This aligns with the interests of Central Asian countries, which are keen to attract European investments.

In conclusion, it can be confidently said that Germany is becoming a reliable partner for Central Asia in fostering sustainable connectivity between the region and the European Union.

Jasur Rakhmatov, 

Head of Department at ISMI 

under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan