At the conclusion of their meeting, the ministers affirmed their commitment to establishing a strong and ambitious future partnership among their countries. Such partnership is based on shared values, interests and deep historical ties between their peoples, as well as the existing bilateral and multilateral cooperation across various fields. The ministers expressed their determination to enhance collaboration and foster closer relations in all areas of mutual interest.
The closing statement of the meeting said that views were exchanged on regional and international issues and the ministers stressed the importance of coordinating positions between the two sides through the strategic dialogue mechanisms that were established at the meeting.
The ministers also emphasized their agreement on joint cooperation to enhance efforts towards global economic recovery and address the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the recovery of supply chains, transportation, and communication, as well as ensuring food security, energy security, and water security. They also highlighted the importance of developing green energy sources and technologies, addressing environmental challenges, climate change, education and exchanging best practices and experiences in all fields. Additionally, they emphasized the need to create business opportunities and support investment through appropriate trade and investment mechanisms available to both sides.
The statement indicated that the ministers also stressed the importance of the link between the principles, goals and priorities contained in the concept of interaction for Central Asian countries in the multilateral framework approved by the heads of Central Asian states in July 2022, in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, and the decisions of the Cooperation Council on building cooperation with Central Asian countries.
The statement added that to achieve these goals, the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Dialogue and Cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries for the period of 2023-2027 has been adopted. This plan encompasses various aspects, including political and security dialogue, economic and investment cooperation, enhancing people-to-people communication and establishing effective partnerships between the business sectors of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries. The ministers also emphasized the importance of taking necessary measures for the swift implementation of this plan at both bilateral and multilateral levels, ensuring its comprehensive execution.
Central Asia is a closed geographic region located in the heart of the Asian continent, or the heart of the world. It comprises Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Although it does not have direct access to any open seas, its geographical location makes it of great importance.
The region covers an area of approximately 4 million square kilometers, stretching from western China to the Caspian Sea and Iran in the west. It has a combined population of around 73 million people and a total GDP of about USD 300 billion for the five countries. These nations possess vast reserves of minerals, oil, natural gas, coal, and water. The gas reserves in Central Asia and the Caucasus account for 34 percent of the global total, positioning them to play a significant role in global energy security. Tajikistan has a huge wealth of water estimated at 65 percent of water resources in its region.
Source: Qatar News Agency