A two-day business forum B5+1 has kicked off in Bishkek, bringing together participants from the business community and government structures of Central Asia and the United States.
The aim of the event is to emphasize the importance of the private sector's role in reforming economic policy and strengthening ties between the USA and Central Asia.
The forum discusses the results of implementing 21 recommendations voiced at the first B5+1, which took place in Almaty in March 2024. New priorities aimed at developing regional integration and improving interaction between the public and private sectors are also on the agenda.
The key sectors highlighted for the 2026 forum agenda include:
- agriculture;
- financial sector;
- strategically important minerals;
- information technology and e-commerce;
- transport services and logistics;
- tourism.
The B5+1 forum is a continuation of the recent C5+1 summit, which marked its tenth anniversary. Its outcomes included a joint statement from the USA and the governments of the five Central Asian countries, recognizing B5+1 as a "significant business alternative to the diplomatic format C5+1." This support underscores the growing importance of the private sector in strengthening economic cooperation in the region and adds weight to the Bishkek forum.
The main goal of the forum is to establish B5+1 as a long-term platform that will complement the C5+1 framework and support sustainable economic reforms, investments, and cooperation between the private sector and the governments of Central Asia and the USA.
It is worth noting that the B5+1 platform is the business equivalent of the diplomatic format C5+1, which unites Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the USA. This initiative is being implemented by CIPE as part of the "Improving the Business Environment in Central Asia" (IBECA) program, supported by the U.S. Department of State. The first B5+1 forum took place on March 14-15, 2024, in Almaty and gathered over 250 participants from Central Asia and the USA.
