Latest news with #InstituteforStrategicandRegionalStudies
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Asian countries push for regional development at Termez Dialogue
Representatives of Central Asian countries have come together to maximise the region's economic opportunities and make an effort to support Afghanistan, which is now signalling a business-oriented international outreach after years of isolation. The Termez Dialogue on Connectivity Between Central and South Asia, which included leaders from Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was held in the southern Uzbek city of Termez. The meeting was initiated by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of its neighbour Afghanistan, which is now in the fifth year of the Taliban government. The Central Asian countries have for years been pushing for what they call "acceptance of reality" in the region and engagement with Afghanistan. In 2022 Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to collaborate, which was later reflected in a UN General Assembly resolution. The meeting in Termez is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into a reality. "The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent, functional platform within which the representatives of Central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange," Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, said. Most of the region's countries have already started their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. There are now high-voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them Afghanistan receives regular aid in the form of electricity. Turkmenistan's deputy foreign minister Temirbek Erkinov pointed out a new road and a railway from his country to Afghanistan projects are in the planning for the route to be extended as far as the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The participants in the Termez talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historic ties between the countries in the region and were all clear about one thing. Since they became independent from the Soviet Union, the landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were cut off both from the nearest deep sea ports in Pakistan and from the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. No pipeline, road or railway line was viable through the vast swathes of Afghanistan that were deemed unsafe. That situation has changed and Afghanistan now has a government which seems to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders. "We want active engagement on a number of concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghan Trans Railway Corridor. You know that all the countries of the region are land-locked, Uzbekistan is double-land locked as we have to cross two borders to reach the nearest sea," explained Aripov. "This is why the question of transport communication is the most important topic for all the central and south Asian countries. We are committed to the Trans Afghan corridor above all because it will connect Pakistani ports to the countries of Central Asia." "Right now, trade between Central and South Asia is worth five billion dollars. That is nothing. It does not remotely reflect the potential that's there. Europe is much further away and our trade exchange with them is ten times higher," he added. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Naeem Wardak joined the summit to announce Kabul's intentions to get involved in trade, transit and stronger regional economic cooperation, to act what he called "a regional connector and a transit route." "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to make Afghanistan the connectivity point in this region. Afghanistan's position is to the benefit of all the countries around us in the region," he said. He insisted that Afghanistan is already providing security in the region by tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and fighting organised crime and terrorism. But his government is eager to engage more, economically, he said. "Afghanistan is centrally located and is the bridge between Central and South Asia. As such, it represents a bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of fighting and the opportunity did not exist. Now, thanks to Allah, with the return of the Islamic Emirate, the opportunities for development are in place," he told Euronews. The city of Termez, situated on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the bank of the Amu Darya river, has been a logistics hub for the caravans travelling between east and west along the ancient Silk Road. During Soviet times it was reduced to a distant outpost and served as the Red Army's entry point to Afghanistan in 1979. A project which envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of a trade hub is under way. On a patch of land on the border, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone in 2024 for Afghan companies and a logistics centre. Afghan nationals can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime. Almost half a million Afghans have already made use of the opportunity, opening businesses thanks to a simplified registration procedure and enjoying duty free trade. Around 100 shops are currently active there and a further 500 have been announced. A cargo centre within the zone is used to load more than 70 lorries, and a daily train transports goods to both sides of the border. A modern hospital, opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different areas has treated around 48,000 Afghan patients, paid for by the Uzbek government. Related The race for Central Asia's transport routes: Who will dominate the new Silk Roads? Samarkand's celestial legacy: Tracing Ulugh Beg's astronomical achievements on the Silk Road The New Silk Road: What is it and why has Italy abandoned the project with China? Around 300 complicated surgeries were performed that patients were unable to have in Afghanistan. A business school for medium and small enterprises was also opened and teaches some 500 shop owners how to run and develop their business. "We have seen the surge of trade contracts in the last year. Last year the increase was 160%, and they are now worth $560 million (€494 million)," said the governor of the Surkhandarya region, Ulugbek Kosimov. He also hopes that the development of trade routes from Russia in the north to India in the south and from Iran in the west and China in the east, with all the countries along the road, will see his province prosper in what he called a "new renaissance."
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Central Asian nations push for regional development at Termez Dialogue
Representatives of Central Asian countries have come together to maximise the region's economic opportunities and make an effort to support Afghanistan, which is now signalling a business-oriented international outreach after years of isolation. The Termez Dialogue on Connectivity Between Central and South Asia, which included leaders from Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was held in the southern Uzbek city of Termez. The meeting was initiated by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of its neighbour Afghanistan, which is now in the fifth year of the Taliban government. The Central Asian countries have for years been pushing for what they call "acceptance of reality" in the region and engagement with Afghanistan. In 2022 Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to collaborate, which was later reflected in a UN General Assembly resolution. The meeting in Termez is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into a reality. "The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent, functional platform within which the representatives of Central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange," Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, said. Most of the region's countries have already started their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. There are now high-voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them Afghanistan receives regular aid in the form of electricity. Turkmenistan's deputy foreign minister Temirbek Erkinov pointed out a new road and a railway from his country to Afghanistan projects are in the planning for the route to be extended as far as the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The participants in the Termez talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historic ties between the countries in the region and were all clear about one thing. Since they became independent from the Soviet Union, the landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were cut off both from the nearest deep sea ports in Pakistan and from the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. No pipeline, road or railway line was viable through the vast swathes of Afghanistan that were deemed unsafe. That situation has changed and Afghanistan now has a government which seems to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders. "We want active engagement on a number of concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghan Trans Railway Corridor. You know that all the countries of the region are land-locked, Uzbekistan is double-land locked as we have to cross two borders to reach the nearest sea," explained Aripov. "This is why the question of transport communication is the most important topic for all the central and south Asian countries. We are committed to the Trans Afghan corridor above all because it will connect Pakistani ports to the countries of Central Asia." "Right now, trade between Central and South Asia is worth five billion dollars. That is nothing. It does not remotely reflect the potential that's there. Europe is much further away and our trade exchange with them is ten times higher," he added. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Naeem Wardak joined the summit to announce Kabul's intentions to get involved in trade, transit and stronger regional economic cooperation, to act what he called "a regional connector and a transit route." "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to make Afghanistan the connectivity point in this region. Afghanistan's position is to the benefit of all the countries around us in the region," he said. He insisted that Afghanistan is already providing security in the region by tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and fighting organised crime and terrorism. But his government is eager to engage more, economically, he said. "Afghanistan is centrally located and is the bridge between Central and South Asia. As such, it represents a bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of fighting and the opportunity did not exist. Now, thanks to Allah, with the return of the Islamic Emirate, the opportunities for development are in place," he told Euronews. The city of Termez, situated on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the bank of the Amu Darya river, has been a logistics hub for the caravans travelling between east and west along the ancient Silk Road. During Soviet times it was reduced to a distant outpost and served as the Red Army's entry point to Afghanistan in 1979. A project which envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of a trade hub is under way. On a patch of land on the border, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone in 2024 for Afghan companies and a logistics centre. Afghan nationals can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime. Almost half a million Afghans have already made use of the opportunity, opening businesses thanks to a simplified registration procedure and enjoying duty free trade. Around 100 shops are currently active there and a further 500 have been announced. A cargo centre within the zone is used to load more than 70 lorries, and a daily train transports goods to both sides of the border. A modern hospital, opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different areas has treated around 48,000 Afghan patients, paid for by the Uzbek government. Around 300 complicated surgeries were performed that patients were unable to have in Afghanistan. A business school for medium and small enterprises was also opened and teaches some 500 shop owners how to run and develop their business. "We have seen the surge of trade contracts in the last year. Last year the increase was 160%, and they are now worth $560 million (€494 million)," said the governor of the Surkhandarya region, Ulugbek Kosimov. He also hopes that the development of trade routes from Russia in the north to India in the south and from Iran in the west and China in the east, with all the countries along the road, will see his province prosper in what he called a "new renaissance." The Polish military intervened in the Baltic Sea after a Russian ship carried out "suspicious manoeuvres" near a power cable connecting Poland and Sweden, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday. "A Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' covered by sanctions performed suspicious maneuvers near the power cable connecting Poland with Sweden," Tusk wrote on X. "After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports." The term "shadow fleet" is used to describe ships Russia operates under concealed means to evade sanctions. Western countries say that Moscow is using hundreds of tankers under opaque ownership to ferry Russian oil around the world despite Western sanctions against them. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters later on Wednesday that a patrol flight scared the Russian ship away, and that the Polish navy's ORP Heweliusz sailed to the scene to investigate further, according to local media. An emergency meeting will be held on Thursday with Tusk in attendance, reports said. "This shows how dangerous the times we live in are, how serious the situation in the Baltic Sea is," Kosiniak-Kamysz told a news conference. Moscow has publicly not commented on the incident. The 600-megawatt undersea cable targeted links Poland and Sweden and allows electricity grids in both countries to benefit from cheap cross-border power supplies. Some of the vessels Russia's "shadow fleet" have been implicated in previous damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. In December 2024, Finnish police seized the Eagle S, a tanker thought to be part of the fleet, on suspicion it used its anchor to damage an undersea power cable supplying electricity from Finland to Estonia. Russia has denied any role in the damage. Nevertheless, NATO has stepped up its security in the region following a string of incidents in which power cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Estonia warned last week that Russia was willing to protect its shadow fleet of ageing tankers with military force. That came after Estonia recently intercepted a suspicious vessel in its waters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said that Russia would defend its ships in the Baltic Sea using "all means" at its disposal.
See - Sada Elbalad
26-01-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Uzbekistan Highlights Malaysia as a Priority Partner in Asia
Madina Aripova, Сhief research fellow Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Strengthening friendly relations and developing a multifaceted partnership with Malaysia is one of the important priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy in Asian direction. This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over this period, Uzbek-Malaysian relations have been developing consistently and fruitfully, based on the principles of friendship, equality, mutual support, respect and consideration of each other's interests. The traditional close ties of friendship between the Uzbek and Malaysian peoples are based on common religion, similarity of customs and cultural values. The main goals and objectives of the strategic development and modernization programs «Uzbekistan-2030» and «Malaysia MADANI» implemented by our countries also demonstrate similarity and are aimed at ensuring sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life and well-being of the population. High-level visits and established mechanisms of interstate dialog have played an important role in promoting and deepening bilateral interaction. To date, six high-level visits have been conducted. In 2020, «friendship groups» were established between the parliaments of the two countries, which significantly intensified inter-parliamentary dialogue. Consequently, in April 2023, Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament, visited Uzbekistan. In June 2024, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, the Deputy President of the Senate of the Parliament of Malaysia visited our country. In return, a parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis Nuriddin Ismoilov paid a visit to Malaysia in July 2024. Political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries are held regularly, where the sides discuss current issues on the bilateral agenda. Six rounds of political consultations have taken place thus far. Notably, delegations led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan visited Malaysia in February and July of 2024. A solid legal framework has been established between the two countries, consisting of 25 intergovernmental and other documents. Furthermore, Tashkent and Kuala Lumpur closely coordinate within the framework of regional and international organizations such as the UN, CICA, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement, mutually supporting each other's initiatives and demonstrating a convergence of positions on the most pressing global and regional issues. It is important to note that a more active dynamic in Uzbek-Malaysian relations has been observed in recent years. Thanks to the active and trusting political dialogue between the leaders of the two countries - President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, Uzbek-Malaysian cooperation is now filled with new content and reaching a higher level. Undoubtedly, Anwar Ibrahim's visit to Uzbekistan in May 2024 gave a significant impetus to bilateral interaction. As a result of this visit, important agreements were reached and new directions were outlined for further expanding cooperation between the countries. In particular, a Joint Statement on Deepening Multifaceted Cooperation was signed, which reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening of political dialog, inter-parliamentary ties, trade and investment, cultural and humanitarian interaction. The leaders emphasized the need to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a comprehensive partnership in the near future. Following the Uzbek-Malaysian Business Forum held in Samarkand as part of the visit, a solid package of 19 investment agreements worth over $3 billion was signed. In this context, it is important to emphasize that in recent years there has been a steady growth in bilateral trade turnover between the countries, which has increased 2.5 times since 2020. The number of joint ventures with Malaysian capital in Uzbekistan has reached 37. During the visit, in order to further intensify trade and economic cooperation, it was decided to transform the existing bilateral Trade Committee into an Intergovernmental Commission. Its first meeting was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur in May 2024. In addition, the parties agreed to create a special Uzbek-Malaysian industrial zone to promote high-tech projects. Undoubtedly, its creation will significantly deepen industrial cooperation between the countries and lay the foundation for the formation of joint productions with high added value. In this context, an important direction of industrial cooperation could be the production of microelectronics and semiconductors. As it is known, Malaysia has achieved high results in the development of the semiconductor industry, which accounts for 25% of the country's GDP. It ranks 6th in the world in semiconductor exports and accounts for 13% of the global market for testing and assembling microchips. In the near future, Malaysia has set a goal of becoming a leading «chip design powerhouse» and increasing its share of the global semiconductor trade from the current 7% to 14% by 2029. To achieve this goal, a National Semiconductor Development Strategy was adopted in 2024, with plans to invest about $107 billion in its implementation. Uzbekistan, which has a significant resource potential of rare earth metals, also aims to actively develop the production of semiconductors and microelectronic products, which are becoming increasingly in demand on the global market. In this regard, our country is interested in establishing cooperation with Malaysia to develop the semiconductor industry and launch joint startup projects in this area. Another significant direction of industrial cooperation could be pharmaceuticals. Malaysia is one of the leaders in the production of pharmaceutical products. In 2024, the profit of its pharmaceutical industry amounted to more than $1.7 billion. Uzbekistan also actively supports the development of the pharmaceutical industry and has abundant natural resources that can be used for the production of medicines. In this regard, there is a great potential for creating joint ventures for the production of pharmaceuticals, as well as conducting joint scientific research in the field of pharmacology. An important area of Uzbek-Malaysian cooperation is also the «halal» industry. This sphere is of particular interest to Uzbekistan taking into account the current trends of its growth on a global scale. In recent years, the global «halal» market has been growing rapidly and is now valued at $2.6 trillion. According to forecasts, by 2030 it will reach $5 trillion. In turn, Malaysia is among the largest exporters of «halal» products and is recognized as a world leader in «halal» certification, including food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Today, exports of these products in Malaysia account for 17.3% of the country's total exports. The «halal» industry is regulated by the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia, known as JAKIM, which serves as the competent authority being responsible for halal certification in Malaysia. Its certificate is recognized in 49 countries around the world, which indicates a high level of confidence in this certificate and its international recognition. It should be noted that since 2018, the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia and the Agency 'Uzstandart' started cooperation on the introduction of «halal» certification system in Uzbekistan. Further intensification of cooperation in this direction will significantly increase the competitiveness of Uzbek goods in the markets of Muslim countries and will play an important role on the way of Uzbekistan's integration into the global supply chains of «halal» products. Islamic banking may become another key area of bilateral cooperation. Today, the Islamic banking system is increasingly becoming an important part of the global financial sector. According to the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, total Islamic banking and financial assets worldwide exceed $4.5 trillion. According to forecasts by the international market research company «Mordor Intelligence», the compound annual growth rate in the Islamic finance market will be more than 10% in 2024-2029. To date, Malaysia is recognized as an international center of Islamic finance. It was one of the first to introduce laws on Islamic banking and Islamic insurance. The size of the Islamic interbank money market is about one-third of the total market, and Shariah-compliant securities account for 81% of listed stocks. In addition, Malaysia has a well-developed training system in the field of Islamic finance. The International Center for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) is the leading institution in this direction. In this regard, Uzbekistan is interested in intensifying cooperation with the Malaysian side on the development of Islamic banking in our country, as well as in training specialists in this sphere. Uzbekistan and Malaysia attach particular importance to the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties, which contribute to deepening mutual understanding and enrichment of the cultures of the two peoples. Every year, cooperation in tourism, health care and sports is expanding, educational and academic exchanges are being strengthening. This facilitated by regular joint conferences, symposia, exhibitions, tourism fairs, culture and cinema days, concerts and festivals. The achieved level of bilateral cooperation in the sphere of education and personnel training deserves special attention. For example, within the framework of the Malaysian Government's Technical Cooperation Program, more than 850 specialists from Uzbek ministries and agencies have upgraded their qualifications at various short-term courses and seminars in Malaysia. Today, about 500 Uzbek students are studying at prestigious Malaysian universities. In 2021, a branch of Malaysia's «Binary» International University was opened in Urgench, which trains specialists in management, information technology and entrepreneurship. At the same time, our country is interested in further expansion of cooperation with leading universities in Malaysia in such areas as green energy, artificial intelligence, creative economy, Islamic banking, «halal» industry and others. There is huge potential for cooperation in the tourism sector. Both citizens of Malaysia and Uzbekistan have a 30-day visa-free regime. Thanks to this, in recent years there has been a steady growth in the number of Malaysian tourists visiting Uzbekistan. If in 2023 their number was 4396 people, then by the end of 2024 their number reached 8854 people. On the territory of our republic there is a large number of unique architectural monuments, ancient mosques and madrassas, tombs and burial places of great Islamic theologians, scientists such as Imam al-Bukhari, Imam at-Termezi, Imam Moturidi, Bahauddin Naqshbandi and others, which arouse great interest among Muslims from all over the world. It must be acknowledged that thanks to the measures taken to develop ziyorat tourism in our republic, today Uzbekistan is becoming one of the largest centers of pilgrimage in the Islamic world. This evidenced by the growth of our country's position in various global ratings. Thus, in the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI-2023), Uzbekistan took 13th place among 140 countries in the direction of international pilgrimage tourism. At the Halal in Travel Awards 2023, Khiva was awarded as «Islamic Destination of the Year». It is noteworthy that in 2024 Uzbekistan was honored with a prestigious award by Malaysia. Our country was recognized in the nomination «Best Asian Travel Destination with Rich Architectural Heritage». In this regard, it is important for the countries to expand cooperation on the creation of joint tours with a focus on the development of ziyorat tourism in the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Khiva, where historical Islamic monuments are concentrated. In general, it can be stated with confidence that Uzbekistan and Malaysia are long-term partners whose interests coincide in most areas of interaction. A solid foundation has been laid in our relations for the further development of bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the two states.
