President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has identified six main regional tasks for Central Asian states for the next several years. Among them are the development of defense, energy and logistical cooperation, the enhancement of economic potential with a focus on resource independence, general principles of water and food security, intensifying ties between youth and writing a general history of the region.
In his article «Renaissance of Central Asia: On the Way to Sustainable Development and Prosperity,» the president noted that interaction between Central Asian countries is crucial for preserving their unique civilization and stabilizing the region as a whole.
«At this stage of history, there are important goals and tasks ahead of us. The destiny of the entire region and its people depends on this,» President Tokayev said in the article published on the website of the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper.
Here are the six main regional tasks for Central Asian countries in the next several years:
Preserving peace and stability in Central Asia and neighboring regions.
«Against the backdrop of the complex military and political situation around Central Asia, it is especially important to collaborate in the sphere of defense and security. The crucial task is to create a regional security architecture. One tool that can be applied is the preparation of a security threats catalog for Central Asia and measures to prevent them from happening,» Tokayev highlighted.
Economic potential development and intensifying cooperation with a focus on avoiding resource dependency. The president believes that the implementation of joint economic projects can facilitate this process.
«The technological development of our economies is an important task. We have to gradually reduce our resource dependence. In this context, digitalization and the creative industry, which span media, cinema, music, design, education and IT, might become new points of economic growth. The region has the potential for effective joint projects in this field,» Tokayev noted.
Combining and expanding cooperation in the sphere of transport within Central Asia and beyond the region. Tokayev believes that the region also has the potential to become one of the most important transport, logistical and transit hubs in the world.
«The development of Kazakhstan’s maritime infrastructure in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, which are transit hubs for a soaring number of shipments from China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caucasus region and Turkey, is vital. Moreover, potential transport corridors through Afghanistan can open an effective route to promising markets in South Asia and ports along the coast of the Indian Ocean. This will serve the interests of the entire region,» President Tokayev highlighted.
Common approaches to water, energy and food security. According to the president, the International Foundation for Saving the Aral Sea (IFSA) plays a crucial role as a regional platform for discussing and solving key water, energy, environmental and socio-economic problems.
«As the current chair of the IFSA, Kazakhstan has suggested intensifying cooperation within the organization and establishing an international hydro-energy consortium with a food component because water issues are always linked with food security in the region,» the president said. He also said that Kazakhstan has suggested a strategic plan to secure food security in Central Asia until 2030, together with establishing a single information platform to analyze and exchange data between the five Central Asian countries.
Intensifying cooperation in the spheres of science and education as well as strengthening ties between the youth. As Tokayev pointed out, Central Asia is one of the youngest regions in the world, with an average age of 28.7 years.
«This unique advantage opens a wide window of opportunities for the socio-economic development of all five countries. The youth can be a driving force for various processes associated with economic, technological and cultural modernization. As global competition increases, the young generation of people in our region holds the keys to our future success,» the president of Kazakhstan said.
Writing a common history of Central Asia based on Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and European sources.
«Historical memory is the foundation for national identity. Reasonable pride for what our ancestors achieved and for our rich culture is a powerful impetus for the successful development of our nations in the present day and their ascent in the future. This is why we must pay more attention to the glorious pages of our common history,» Tokayev said.
In conclusion, the president cited the words of wisdom of Abay, a prominent Kazakh poet: «Unity is the beginning of success.»
Kazakhstan aims to boost its GDP to $450 billion by 2029, achieving a growth rate of 6% to 7% per year with the help of the National Development Plan (NDP) approved by President Tokayev. Under the NDP, the government wants to make the country’s economy more complex, boost competition to improve the quality of services and goods, protect entrepreneurship, adopt economic policies favorable to investors, develop the region’s potential and raise the quality of education.
