At the Fifth Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Dushanbe, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward a number of initiatives to promote the region’s growth. One of these was the suggestion to establish an Economic Council of Central Asian States. This mechanism is designed to foster practical cooperation in trade and economics, raise the level of trade turnover, improve export opportunities, make the region more attractive for investment, and stimulate innovation.
The importance of this proposal was demonstrated at the Economic Forum of the Central Asian States on “Digital Economy, Digital Trade and Innovation” which took place just prior to the Consultative Meeting. Participants discussed ways to share experience and explore prospects for collaboration in the digital economy, implement e-government systems, and digitalize public services and innovation.
The initiative of the Uzbekistan Leader to create the Economic Council of Central Asian States offers new opportunities for further strengthening economic interaction between countries in the region, drawing in more investment, and utilizing innovative technologies, as well as for further integration into regional and global financial mechanisms.
Azizkhan Nazirov,
Chief Researcher at IICA