Using shared geography as an advantage: what the heads of state of Central Asia discussed at the meeting in Avaza

Using Shared Geography as an Advantage: What the Heads of State of Central Asia Discussed at the Meeting in Avaza

On October 8, the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan took place in the "Avaza" resort zone on the Caspian coast in Turkmenistan.

This is the first official meeting in this format after Azerbaijan became a full participant in November 2025. The presidents discussed the prospects for the Consultative Meetings, challenges for the region, and joint projects.

All five leaders identified trust and good-neighborliness as the foundation of regional cooperation. As President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, the Consultative Meetings have been built on trust between states from the very beginning.

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also called unity, mutual support, and trust the shared strategic pillar of the countries.

President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed that the level of trust between leaders today is high enough to solve large-scale tasks.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon also spoke about mutual trust and the spirit of partnership. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov stated that his country is ready to continue contributing to strengthening good-neighborliness in the region.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the region's countries do not seek to create cumbersome structures. According to him, a flexible and clear format is needed, in which sovereign states cooperate on the basis of mutual respect, trust, and pragmatism. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took a similar stance, proposing to preserve the Consultative Meetings as a platform for direct dialogue among leaders, free from excessive formalization.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov identified building the potential of the six-party partnership, which unites the five Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, as a priority. He proposed supplementing the format with permanent six-party mechanisms in foreign policy, economics, and the humanitarian sphere. In particular, the President of Turkmenistan favored regular consultations between ministries of foreign affairs within the framework of the Consultative Meetings.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov called Azerbaijan's accession a most important and natural result of the years-long rapprochement of the states, describing the entire format as six-sided.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev also spoke of Azerbaijan as a full participant in the format. Azerbaijan, in particular, joined the economic formula he proposed: "six economies — one product."

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named Central Asia and Azerbaijan centers of growth and geopolitical interaction in Eurasia. And according to Sadyr Japarov, Azerbaijan's chairmanship will give a new impetus to joint work, and Kyrgyzstan is ready to support the implementation of its priorities.

Emomali Rahmon promised that Tajikistan would provide comprehensive support in organizing the work during Azerbaijan's chairmanship.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted that last year, Azerbaijan's trade turnover with Central Asian countries grew by more than 50%. Joint investment funds of Azerbaijan with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have been created, and the capital of each "is measured in hundreds of millions of dollars."

He expressed the opinion that "their capabilities should be used even more actively, primarily for implementing joint projects, creating new manufacturing facilities, and expanding industrial cooperation. We need not only to increase mutual trade, it is important to invest together, produce, and enter external markets."

The main topics were ensuring security in a changing global environment and water scarcity.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named terrorism, drug trafficking, arms and human trafficking, illegal migration, organized crime, and fraud as the main threats. Separately, the President of Kazakhstan pointed to the risk of digital technologies falling into the hands of terrorists and drug cartels.

Therefore, according to him, countries need to jointly develop approaches to controlling critical technologies. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also called for ensuring full implementation of the Concept of Regional Security and Stability and the Catalog of Security Risks, adopted last year in Tashkent.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov called lasting peace, security, and predictability in the region and neighboring zones one of the priorities. He cited civilized dialogue, overcoming crises through negotiations, and restoring trust as the core of Turkmenistan's approach, urging countries to build coordinated approaches in the field of international security.

Emomali Rahmon also urged Central Asian countries to strengthen security cooperation, while Shavkat Mirziyoyev linked the region's security to solidarity and trust between nations.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named the issue of water scarcity one of the main challenges to stability in Central Asia. He urged developing new approaches to managing transboundary water resources, taking into account the interests of all countries in the region. The starting point, he said, could be the Central Asian Framework Convention on Water Use, the draft of which is already under consideration by all parties. Kazakhstan also supports the creation of an International Water Organization under the auspices of the UN.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev called water deficit an increasingly serious constraint on regional development. He proposed introducing digital monitoring, modernizing irrigation networks, and adopting water-saving technologies. The President of Uzbekistan also favored continuous dialogue with Afghanistan on the use of water resources.

Emomali Rahmon suggested developing cooperation in combating climate change, glacier melting, water scarcity, and dust storms. According to him, these phenomena directly affect the environment and food security.

Sadyr Japarov, also speaking about the importance of preserving glaciers and mountain ecosystems, called for the rational use of natural resources and the introduction of innovations in this area.

The presidents' proposals mainly concerned trade and industry, transport, energy, and new technologies. Separate initiatives were voiced in the fields of education and humanitarian ties.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking about the Comprehensive Regional Program of Trade and Economic Cooperation until 2035, stated that it should become a working tool and help leverage the region's main advantage — its shared geography. To achieve this, it is necessary to consistently remove trade barriers, expand industrial cooperation, and launch more joint projects.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that when enterprises from several countries operate within a single production chain, the ties between economies become stronger. To develop this direction, Uzbekistan proposed holding a Central Asia and Azerbaijan Business Forum in Khiva in 2027.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev also proposed creating a Financial and Technical Support Platform for joint investment projects. He explained that large projects need not only investments, but also preparation, expertise, and clear financial instruments. This issue, according to his proposal, should be considered by the Council of Ministers of Trade and Investment at its next meeting in Ashgabat.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that trade and economic cooperation in the region is filled with new substance every year. However, the potential of the internal market is far from exhausted. Last year, the volume of intra-regional trade accounted for about 8% of the total trade turnover of the states. The President proposed instructing the governments to develop and adopt a joint Action Plan to bring intra-regional trade volume to at least 20 billion dollars.

Sadyr Japarov proposed creating a single electronic trading platform for Central Asia and Azerbaijan. According to him, it will expand access for businesses and buyers to the region's products. The President stressed that the platform needs its own logistics: delivery, warehousing, customs clearance, and tracking of goods. For this work, Kyrgyzstan is ready to involve specialists from the High Technology Park.

Emomali Rahmon stated that the region's rich resources open up opportunities for creating joint ventures, industrial complexes, and product processing. The President of Tajikistan advocated expanding cooperation in the services sector and launching joint production and export projects.

He also urged strengthening the resilience of regional supply chains. Separately, Emomali Rahmon proposed exchanging experience in adapting products to environmental, carbon, and technical requirements of external markets.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed leveraging the climate and geographic advantages of the countries. According to him, it is possible to create large export agro-industrial complexes capable of competing in quality and price. To do this, transport, customs, and tariff barriers must be eliminated. He suggested considering more flexible schemes and implementing electronic systems, and also called for diversifying trade and increasing trade turnover. In his opinion, entrepreneurial unions and associations should take the initiative here.

According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the modernization of Kazakhstan's transport infrastructure will enhance the transit role of the entire region. The President proposed discussing at an expert level the integration of the Trans-Caspian route, known as the Middle Corridor, with the TRIPP transport initiative (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity).

Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the countries of the region could become one of the key overland routes for global trade. However, according to him, this requires a shared logic for transport infrastructure development. Major projects need to be coordinated so that routes complement one another and function as a unified system. Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed accelerating the creation of an Infrastructure Development Council, the first meeting of which Uzbekistan is ready to host.

Sadyr Japarov noted that the effectiveness of economic cooperation depends on the reliability of transport routes, shipping costs, and transit predictability. The benchmark, according to the President of Kyrgyzstan, should be reducing delivery costs and shortening transit times.

The President of Tajikistan called for eliminating administrative, infrastructural, and organizational barriers, simplifying transport procedures, and digitizing transport. He also favored developing multimodal routes, which, he said, should connect the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan with other regions of the world.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov urged giving maximum substance to negotiations on transport connectivity along the East-West and North-South lines. A key role, according to him, is to be played by the Central Asia–Caspian Sea–South Caucasus–Europe corridor. He stated that Turkmenistan is ready to provide its infrastructure on the Caspian Sea on a mutually beneficial basis.

According to Ilham Aliyev, in recent years Azerbaijan has made major investments in transport infrastructure, developing seaports, airports, railways, and highways, with an observed growth in cargo traffic across the Caspian. The common task of his country and Central Asia, he said, is to make these routes more efficient and competitive. Last year, he noted, transit volume along the Middle Corridor grew by more than 10%, and in the first 8 months of 2026 — by almost another 20%.

Ilham Aliyev also emphasized that the "Digital Silk Way" project is being implemented in parallel, with work underway to develop fiber-optic lines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea.

Energy and resources.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the countries of the region have significant hydrocarbon reserves and great potential for hydropower, solar, and wind generation. The President proposed preparing a Joint Concept of Low-Carbon Energy Potential. It should help coordinate the construction of new generating capacities, the development of energy storage systems, and the creation of new energy corridors.

In addition, Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed stepping up the creation of the Regional Alliance on Critical Minerals, initiated by Uzbekistan. The first step could be a Unified Digital Map of Central Asian Critical Mineral Reserves. According to the President, it will show international investors that the countries are ready to develop this direction together.

Emomali Rahmon proposed drawing up a list of priority energy projects and defining mechanisms for their joint financing. The President also advocated building a large oil refinery based on the latest technologies to cover the needs of the entire region. Furthermore, Emomali Rahmon suggested developing a regional green transition strategy that should account for renewable energy development and improved energy efficiency.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that energy cooperation should not be limited to energy transit pipelines. According to him, countries can also implement projects to supply electricity to interested states. The President of Turkmenistan also proposed establishing sustainable ties between countries in the power generation sector. Such cooperation, he said, would help ensure the energy security of the nations against the backdrop of global energy market instability.

Ilham Aliyev recalled that his country is expanding cooperation with Central Asia in the field of renewable energy and is carrying out joint work with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to create a green energy corridor.