The Fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia kicked off in Dushanbe yesterday. 

The Tajik president’s official website says the event was attended by the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the guest of honor - the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The heads of state reportedly discussed a wide range of topical issues of relations between the countries of the region and considered prospects for expanding regional cooperation in the field of ensuring sustainable economic development, strengthening the basis of good neighborly relations, and further development of the cultural and humanitarian space of the region.

It was emphasized that thanks to joint efforts, Central Asia is constantly and steadily turning into a region of mutually beneficial cooperation.  

Tajikistan reportedly initiated a number of relevant events with the support of the states of the region on the eve and within the framework of the consultative meeting.

The Tajik president’s official website notes that in preparation for the next meeting, almost fifty activities were held.  Tajik leader emphasized that the purpose of these events is to strengthen a new atmosphere of trust, friendship and cooperation in Central Asia.

As part of the Fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, the Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian states signed 2 new documents:

- Agreement on strengthening the connectivity of land transport in Central Asia,

- Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan on general directions of youth policy.

The idea that the states of Central Asia should have a mechanism to meet together without an external power managing the affair is not new.  The then Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev reiterated calls for the integration of Central Asian countries as a way to jointly ensure the security and prosperity of the region on November 13, 2017, while answering questions at the 3rd session of the Astana Club, a Kazakhstani government-backed international forum aimed at discussing Eurasian issues.  Kazakhstan proposed hosting a Central Asian leaders' summit in Astana in October 2017.

The first Central Asia summit took place in March 2018.  Except not everyone showed up: the then Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov skipped the summit, instead making a state visit to Kuwait, followed by a visit to the United Arab Emirates.  But then-Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev hosted the other three: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, then-Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.  It was decided that a second meeting would be scheduled for March 2019 in Tashkent.

But March 2019 came and went, the meeting delayed to April and then to the fall. In November 2019, the Central Asian leaders held their second meeting, this time in Tashkent and immediately after a CSTO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  Once again, there was a face missing: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who had come into power earlier that year following Nazarbayev’s resignation, had attended the CSTO summit in Bishkek but then returned to the Kazakh capital, Astana.  Instead, Nazarbayev attended the Tashkent meeting.  Jeenbekov and Rahmon attended, as did Berdimuhamedov.

The third consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia took place in Avaza, on the Caspian shore of Turkmenistan in early August 2021.

The Fourth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia took place at the Kyrgyz resort town of Cholpon-Ata on July 21, 2022 with Central Asian leaders’ pledge to boost further cooperation.