Central Asian States, US Aim to Intensify Business Ties

The proposal on creating a special platform for active interaction between the business structures of the Central Asian countries and the United States was voiced during a C5+1 foreign ministers’ meeting held in a hybrid format on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

The foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries and the U.S. noted the importance of strengthening and expanding the potential of the states cooperating in this format in the fields of economy, trade, investments and transport connectivity, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan said in its press release.

During the meeting, the U.S. Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan reaffirmed the importance of the C5+1 regional diplomatic platform, noting its effectiveness in facilitating critical negotiations throughout 2021 on the coordination of the Afghan issue, COVID-19, economic ties and the climate crisis.

In turn, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, stressing the importance of regular meetings in this format, said the format creates opportunities for broad discussion and adoption of urgent measures on topical issues of the regional and international agenda.

The top diplomats also called for a close consolidation of efforts aimed at alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The importance of an open and mutually agreed dialogue with the new government in this country in areas of mutual interest was emphasized during the meeting, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

The officials also held discussions on key areas of interaction between the Central Asian countries and the US. in the political, trade-economic and humanitarian fields. The fight against climate change and environmental issues, the development of the transport-transit potential of the region were outlined among the priority areas of effective partnership.

The C5+1 format serves as a multilateral mechanism of interaction between the five Central Asian countries and the U.S. The dialogue focuses on economic development, regional cooperation and security issues.