“Only this year, the leaders of five countries have held meetings with the heads of the European Union, China, and Russia”
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest in Central Asia from leading global players. This was reported by Igor Shestakov, a political scientist and head of the Expert Initiatives Center “Oy Ordo,” at a round table titled “Geopolitics or Economics: Pros and Cons of the Central Asia +1 Format.”
He emphasized that this year the heads of state of the five have already met with representatives of the European Union, China, and Russia, and it is possible that before the end of the year there will be a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“In conditions of global instability, the ‘5+1’ format is more specific and detailed, which allows for significantly faster resolution of various tasks in the field of economic cooperation. For example, the idea of creating a development bank for the SCO was proposed in Bishkek back in 2008, and only now, after almost two decades, this issue is beginning to be addressed. The participants of the Shanghai Organization have finally started signing memorandums of intent to create this financial structure, which is necessary for the implementation of large investment projects. Within the framework of the five, these processes will occur more quickly,” he added.
Shestakov also noted that in the future, the Central Asian five may expand to a six.
“Currently, the possibility of Azerbaijan joining the five is actively being discussed. This is a real prospect, especially considering that Baku is showing noticeable activity in Central Asia, including in the area of economic projects and transport logistics. It is possible that as early as next year we will see a new format – ‘6+1’. Nevertheless, the ideal option for us would be a Central Asian Union, the work on which has been ongoing for many years. I believe that this format better corresponds to the national interests of the countries in the region, where the sovereignty of states is important, and on this basis, agreements can be made to attract large investments and loans into the economy of Central Asia,” concluded the expert.
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