The GCC and Central Asia are strengthening their relations in various fields. The Gulf-Central Asia summit on July 19 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, emphasized the importance of strengthening political and strategic ties, cooperating in green energy development, supporting investment opportunities, and increasing trade exchanges.
Central Asian Heads of State put forward the following initiatives:
President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed to establish a joint chamber of commerce for Central Asian and Gulf States, to establish a joint Environmental Council and Transport Committee for the Central Asia-GCC format countries, to organize a permanent mechanism for meetings of foreign ministers of Central Asia and the GCC, and to hold the first investment forum for the two regions in Turkmenistan in 2024.
Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, proposed that the Gulf countries participate in the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railroad and the Kambar-Ata-1 hydroelectric power plant with a design capacity of 1860 MW, as well as the establishment of a visa-free zone within the two regions.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested creating a mechanism for meetings between the ministers of agriculture of the two regions, increasing the range of goods in mutual trade, strengthening cooperation with major GCC energy companies, and increasing the nomenclature of mutual trade.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed creating a joint investor council including business representatives and holding the first meeting in Samarkand.
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon came up with the idea of creating a specialized Investment and Development Support Fund within the Central Asia-Persian Gulf format.
Thus, the Central Asian states and the Persian Gulf countries continue to strengthen their relations in various directions, which contributes to the development of economic cooperation and political dialog between the regions.
