BAKU – The CAMCA Regional Forum featured wide-range discussions on regional convergence on Oct. 1. Dr. Frederick Starr, the chairman of Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, introduced the topic by examining prospects for countries in the region to interact more closely and the barriers to deeper cooperation.
L-R: Dr. Frederick Starr, Dania Arayssi, Zhandos Shaimardanov, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais and Farrukh Irnazarov. Photo credit: Rufet Bendeliyev. According to Zhandos Shaimardanov, director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, political dialogue within Central Asia and with other C5 partners is strong and Azerbaijan joining as a full-fledged participant was “very important and timely” last year.
“It’s not simply the transformation of C5 to C6. It gives the new Trans-Caspian dimension to the Central Asian vision. We should consider this new environment where Central Asia is being evolved toward. As we have stronger institutions now. We have different situations in the economy.
And this gives us a different perception, both externally and internally, on the integration of Central Asia,” said Shaimardanov. He elaborated on the concept of convergence, saying it doesn’t mean uniformity. “How diverse we are, and we have so many commonalities and we should keep it as kind of a balance.
I mean keeping this diversity. If we talk about integration, let me remind you of a musical metaphor. We are not the choir where each singer sings the same song, we are the orchestra where each player has its own musical instrument. Kazakhs have dombra, every other country has its own musical instrument.
We should keep this ‘national favor’ and be synchronized with each other. We should advise each other on major topics like environmental issues, the economy, and the transport corridors. This is what makes us strong,” he explained. Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, said growing external challenges mean Central Asia countries feel an “absolute necessity to stick together and to support each other.” He said the European Union sees growing integration as “a positive development” and is ready to share its experience if Central Asian countries “are willing to accept this experience and learn from it.” Stiprais said Afghanistan should be part of this cooperation in the future, while noting that the process has been prevented from advancing.
“Azerbaijan de facto is a part of the consultative process. There are no formal sanctions, civil barriers, or even a formal legal basis for this sort of cooperation. The European position always was, and will continue to be, that this is a choice which must be made by countries themselves,” he said.
He said the EU sees Central Asia as a growing region. “We already have 80 billion consumers and probably 100 billion by 2050. We are thinking about Central Asia as a source of raw materials, including the critical minerals, but also not just the raw materials, but we are looking at the possibility to develop the value-added chain within the region,” he said.