Today the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan hosted a Joint Business Forum of the participating countries in the Central Asia-Japan Dialogue.

The organizers of this representative business event were the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, the Japan Association for Trade with Russia and the NIS (ROTOBO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the relevant ministries and departments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The agenda covers key aspects of regional integration, plans for further expansion of multilateral cooperation and support for industrial cooperation projects, implementation of joint programs in priority areas.

During the opening of the forum, which brought together more than 450 representatives of the Central Asian states and Japan, the importance of the joint event was emphasized, the main goal of which is to strengthen trade and economic relations between the six countries, build mutually beneficial ties between government agencies and business circles, built on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and on a long-term basis. As noted, the current meeting is a unique platform for developing business dialogue between partner states, providing ample opportunities for strengthening multilateral cooperation and finding new mechanisms for it. Located at the crossroads of ancient routes between East and West along the Great Silk Road, Central Asia has promoted dialogue and interpenetration of world cultures for thousands of years. The countries of this region, with enormous energy and natural resource potential, significant transport and communication capabilities, today continue to fulfill successfully this noble and responsible mission. In recent years, the interaction between Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Japan has reached a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership, filling with specific content in all areas. The peaceful foreign policy course implemented by the Central Asian states has allowed them to become full participants in global processes and at the same time facilitates the active promotion of constructive initiatives on the platforms of authoritative organizations, as well as multilateral structures, aimed at developing solutions to pressing problems on the global agenda.

A clear confirmation of the steadily growing role of this region as one of the key subjects of world politics is also the successful interaction within the framework of platforms in the “CA+” format, in particular, the Dialogue “Central Asia-Japan”. In this context, it is necessary to mention that the formation of this platform in 2004 marked a new era in relations between its participating countries. It is noteworthy that the current forum is being held in the year of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the CA-Japan Dialogue. Within the framework of the plenary sessions “Cooperation between Japan and Central Asia in the field of carbon neutrality and industrial modernization”, “New prospects for the development of connectivity between Japan and Central Asia in the context of a changing international situation” and “The importance of investing in human capital and strengthening business infrastructure for business development, as well as expanding cooperation in the financial sector between Japan and Central Asia”, an exchange of views took place on the prospects for cooperation, and plans for joint cooperation were specified. Representatives of Turkmenistan acquainted those present with the key aspects of domestic and foreign policy pursued under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as with the priorities of the large-scale socio-economic reforms being implemented, which determined the dynamic pace of development of our country and an increase in the living standard of the population. In particular, it was emphasized that an intensive process of forming a new industrial model of the national economy is currently underway, aimed at the efficient use of the richest natural resources and advantageous geographical position of the Turkmen state, the widespread introduction of innovative technologies, advanced achievements of science and technology, and modern methods of organizing production.

At the same time, it was noted that the Government pays great attention to supporting private entrepreneurship, developing small and medium-sized businesses, as well as implementing programs to create enterprises that produce import-substituting and competitive products on world markets. Particular emphasis was placed on the main areas of Turkmenistan’s investment policy and current legislation, which provides for tax, customs, visa and other benefits for investors, foreign firms and companies working in the country. The speeches inform on the emerging opportunities for implementing joint projects in various fields with interested partners in detail.

In turn, representatives of the business community of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Japan made presentations on the trade, economic and resource potential of their countries, noting the great prospects for building up productive multilateral relations in a wide range of areas.

The Central Asian states are creating a unique IT ecosystem that allows modernizing the public administration sector and e-commerce. In this regard, it was emphasized that cooperation in the implementation of AI technologies, construction of data centers, and cybersecurity could be fruitful for all parties.

The discussion also focused on the possibilities of strengthening economic ties and expanding productive contacts, including in the field of digitalization, transport and logistics, agro-industrial complex, heavy industry, etc.

According to the unanimous opinion of the participants, the current representative forum, which demonstrated the desire of the six countries to identify new opportunities for cooperation, will give impetus to deepening regional cooperation in the six-party format, and the reached agreements are destined to strengthen the foundation of business relations between the Dialogue member countries.

A number of documents were signed and adopted within the framework of the joint business forum. These include the Roadmap (Action Plan) for the GTG-2 project between the State Concern Türkmenhimiýa (Turkmenistan) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Itochu Corporation (Japan), Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Turkiye), Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) on the project for the supply of spare parts for testing the turbine of the Lebap State Power Plant, Memorandum on Academic Exchanges and Cooperation between the Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan and the University of Tsukuba, Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Information Bulletin on the Further Development of Relations between Turkmenistan and Japan to Establish Mutually Beneficial Cooperation, Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation between the State Bank for Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japan Export and Investment Insurance Agency (NEXI), Memorandum of Understanding between the Türkmenhimiýa State Concern and the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group of Companies, Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) on Cooperation in the Development of the Chemical Industry of Turkmenistan, Memorandum of Mutual Understanding between the Türkmenhimiýa State Concern and Toyo Engineering Corporation (Japan) on cooperation in the development of the chemical industry of Turkmenistan, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan and the company Masui Holdings Co., Ltd. on cooperation in the textile industry.

The main documents also include the Joint Statement on the Results of the Business Forum of the Central Asia-Japan Dialogue.