These days, Tashkent is hosting the second meeting of the Termez Dialogue on Connectivity between Central and South Asia, titled “Peace, Connectivity and Resilience: Shaping the Foundations of Shared Prosperity.” The forum was established in May of last year, with its inaugural meeting held in Termez, a city located on the border with Afghanistan. According to the organizers, reviving the historic role of Termez as a key logistical and civilizational hub linking the markets of these two densely populated regions is intended to generate practical solutions for the development of transport corridors—particularly the Trans-Afghan route—as well as cooperation in energy, trade, and environmental protection.
The initiative continues to gain momentum this year. The Dialogue has become an important international platform bringing together experts, diplomats, and business representatives from the countries of Central Asia, including Turkmenistan, and South Asia to build a new architecture of regional security and partnership.
Situated at the crossroads of major transport, trade, and energy routes, these regions play a vital role in ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of regional and global supply chains. Today, the further development of interregional ties is acquiring particular significance as a factor contributing to international peace, security, and sustainable development. Expanding interregional cooperation, in turn, creates the necessary conditions for ensuring long-term economic growth and social development, while serving as an important instrument for strengthening trust and enhancing regional security.
With these objectives in mind, participants in the second meeting of the Termez Dialogue will focus on priority areas of cooperation capable of delivering concrete and long-term results. These include economic interaction, joint adaptation to climate change, and the development of cultural and humanitarian ties. The primary goal of the meeting is to promote coordinated and inclusive approaches to strengthening connectivity between Central and South Asia as a key element of regional and global peace, security, and sustainable development.
The Dialogue is organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The program includes a plenary session as well as two thematic sessions.
The Forum brings together representatives of foreign ministries and ministries responsible for the economy, transport, energy, and culture from CICA member states; heads and experts from international and regional organizations; specialists from leading analytical centers in Central and South Asia, the CIS, the South Caucasus, the European Union, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and the United States; as well as representatives of international and regional organizations (EU, OSCE, ECO, OIC, OTS, GCC, ASEAN).
The main events of the Dialogue are taking place in Tashkent. The program also includes a visit to Termez to familiarize participants with the activities of the Ayritom International Trade Center, the Termez Cargo Center International Multifunctional Transport and Logistics Hub, an educational center for Afghans, as well as a visit to the city of Samarkand.
Turkmenistan is represented at the Forum by B. Niyazlyyev, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; Sh. Shiriyev, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; and B. Amansaryyev, a leading researcher at the Center.
