The rapprochement of the Central Asia countries is not against the interests of any other country, said the Uzbek Foreign Minister Abulaziz Kamilov said in his opening remarks at at the international conference Central Asian Interconnectivity: Challenges and New Opportunities today in Tashkent.
“Regional cooperation is being enhanced in all areas. The biggest regional security, state borders and water use problems are being resolved on a systemic basis,” the minister said.
He underscored that Uzbekistan’s ties with other countries of the region has in fact been elevated to the strategic partnership level.
“Today, all the Central Asian countries contribute to the development of regional cooperation, initiating joint projects and to resolving of the major problems. I want to emphasize that the process of rapprochement in Central Asia is not against the interests of other countries,” Kamilov said.
He added that trade and economic ties were also significantly boosted. Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the Central Asian countries in 2018 grew by more than 50%. All countries in the region are benefiting from the pace of improving cooperation, Kamilov said.
“Strengthening the regional cooperation is an objective, stable and irreversible trend. It is based on the firm political will of all countries and has deep historical roots,” he concluded.
