Kazakhstan emerges as Central Asia's key leader in regional summit

The meeting was attended by the presidents of all five post-Soviet states in the region: Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon, Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyzstan's Sadyr Japarov, and Turkmenistan's Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The event's host emphasized that the consultations elevated regional cooperation to an unprecedented level, giving it a systematic, comprehensive, and trust-based character, according to the press service of the President of Kazakhstan.

"Thanks to joint efforts, we are finding solutions to age-old problems. Comprehensive measures are being taken to ensure stability and security in the region. Border, water, and migration issues are being systematically resolved, and many barriers to mutual trade have been removed. Border control points are being modernized, transport connections are expanding, and new routes are being opened. Trade, economic, and investment cooperation is developing dynamically," said Tokayev.

"It can be confidently said that over the years, consultative meetings have become an effective platform that demonstrates the international subjectivity and unity of the region, as well as our readiness to jointly respond to contemporary challenges. Central Asia has always been a center of unique civilizations, playing an important role in global progress. Today, based on this historical community and the mental closeness of our nations, we are jointly shaping a new image of Central Asia as a region of great opportunities," he added.

Many experts believe that Kazakhstan, with its 20 million population, is effectively positioning itself as the economic and political leader of the region. The day before, President Tokayev hosted the President of Uzbekistan, whom he honored with the highest state decoration, the Order of the Golden Eagle. The two countries signed several trade agreements worth $7 billion and entered into many agreements, including opening branches of parent universities in the neighboring country.

In July, Astana hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which was attended by heads of state from the community and the Secretary-General of the UN. On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was also scheduled to visit, but he canceled his trip at the last minute, citing the need to stay in his country due to a predicted "mega-earthquake" by seismologists.

On Thursday, the newspaper "Kazakhstan Pravda" published an extensive article by Tokayev titled "The Renaissance of Central Asia: A Path to Sustainable Development and Prosperity," he outlines his vision for the region's development in the coming years. According to the president, the role of the Central Asian states in world politics will increase, and the reason for this is the instability in many parts of the world.

"The vector of Central Asia's development is the attachment to traditional values combined with the desire for modernization and advanced knowledge. This makes our region a self-sufficient and influential participant in the renewing international system. Today, we strive to strengthen our role as the Eurasian epicenter of international geopolitical and geo-economic transformation," states one of the theses of the article.

In his article, Tokayev also emphasized that the most important task is to maintain peace not only in the region but also worldwide and adhere to international law norms and the inviolability of borders. He also referred to the economic and logistical potential of the region's states, especially highlighting the importance of the International Trans-Caspian Transport Route (Middle Corridor), whose role is systematically increasing.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who took office in 2019, is the second President of independent Kazakhstan. He succeeded Nursultan Nazarbayev. Before that, he was a diplomat, Chairman of the Senate, and Prime Minister.