Business Forum of the Central Asia–Japan Dialogue

10.08.2024

On August 9, a joint business forum of the countries participating in the Central Asia-Japan Dialogue was held in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The organizers of this representative business event were the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, the Japanese Association for Trade with Russia and NIS (ROTOBO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken" with the support of relevant ministries and departments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The agenda covers key aspects of regional integration, plans for further expansion of multilateral cooperation and support for industrial cooperation projects, and the implementation of joint programs in priority areas. During the opening of the forum, which brought together more than 450 representatives of the Central Asian region and Japan, the importance of a joint event was emphasized, the main purpose of which is to strengthen trade and economic relations between the six countries, build mutually beneficial ties between government agencies and business circles, built on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and on a long–term basis. As noted, the current meeting is a unique platform for the development of business dialogue between partner states, providing ample opportunities to strengthen multilateral cooperation and search for new mechanisms. Located at the crossroads of ancient routes between East and West along the Great Silk Road, Central Asia has been promoting dialogue and interpenetration of world cultures for thousands of years. The countries of this region, which have huge energy and natural resource potential, significant transport and communication capabilities, continue to successfully fulfill this noble and responsible mission today. In recent years, cooperation between Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Japan has reached a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership, being filled with specific content in all areas. The peaceful foreign policy course implemented by the Central Asian States has allowed them to become full participants in global processes and at the same time contributes to the active promotion of constructive initiatives aimed at developing solutions to pressing problems on the global agenda on the platforms of reputable organizations, as well as multilateral structures. The successful interaction within the framework of the platforms in the format also serves as a clear confirmation of the steadily growing role of this region as one of the key subjects of world politics "CA+", in particular, the Dialogue "Central Asia–Japan". In this context, it should be mentioned that the formation of this platform in 2004 marked a new era in relations between its member countries. It is noteworthy that the current forum is taking place in the year of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the CA-Japan Dialogue. Within the framework of the plenary sessions "Cooperation between Japan and Central Asia in the field of carbon neutrality and industrial modernization", "New prospects for the development of connectivity between Japan and Central Asia in a changing international environment" and "The importance of investing in human capital and strengthening business infrastructure for business development, as well as expanding financial cooperation between Japan and Central Asia" exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation and concretized plans for joint cooperation. The representatives of Turkmenistan familiarized the audience with the key aspects of the domestic and foreign policy conducted under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as with the priorities of the large-scale socio-economic transformations being implemented, which led to the dynamic pace of development of our country, improving the standard of living of the population. In particular, it was emphasized that currently there is an intensive process of forming a new industrial model of the national economy aimed at the effective use of the richest natural resources and the advantageous geographical location of the Turkmen state, the widespread introduction of innovative technologies, advanced achievements of science and technology, modern methods of production organization. At the same time, it was noted that the Government pays great attention to supporting private entrepreneurship, developing small and medium-sized businesses, as well as implementing programs to create enterprises that produce import-substituting and competitive products on world markets. Special emphasis is placed on the main directions of Turkmenistan's investment policy and current legislation providing for tax, customs, visa and other benefits for investors working in the country, foreign firms and companies. In the speeches, detailed information was given about the opportunities that open up for the implementation of joint projects in various fields with interested partners. In turn, representatives of the business circles of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Japan made presentations on the trade, economic and resource potential of their countries, noting the great prospects for building productive multilateral relations in a wide range of areas. The Central Asian states are creating a unique IT ecosystem that allows modernizing the public administration sector and e-commerce. In this regard, it was emphasized that cooperation in the implementation of AI technologies, the construction of data centers, and cybersecurity can be fruitful for all parties. The discussion also focused on the possibilities of strengthening economic ties and expanding productive contacts, including in the field of digitalization, the transport and logistics sector, the agro-industrial complex, heavy industry, etc. According to the unanimous opinion of the participants, the current representative forum, which demonstrated the desire of the six countries to identify new opportunities for cooperation, will give impetus to deepening regional cooperation in the six-party format, and the agreements reached are designed to strengthen the foundation of business relations between the countries participating in the Dialogue. A number of documents were signed and adopted within the framework of the joint business forum. Among them are – Roadmap (Action Plan) for the GTG-2 project between the State Concern "Turkmenhimiýa" (Turkmenistan) and the companies "Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd." (Japan), "Itochu Corporation" (Japan), "Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş." (Turkey), Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) on a project for the supply of spare parts for checking the turbine of the Lebap State Power Plant, Memorandum on academic exchanges and cooperation between the Oguz Khan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan and the University of Tsukuba, Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japan Foreign Trade Organization (JETRO), Newsletter on the further development of relations between Turkmenistan and Japan to create mutually beneficial cooperation, Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening cooperation between the State Bank for Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan and the Japanese Export and Investment Insurance Agency ("NEXI"), Memorandum of Understanding between the State Concern "Turkmenhimiýa" and the group of companies "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries", "Mitsubishi Corporation" (Japan) on cooperation in the field of development of the chemical industry of Turkmenistan, Memorandum of Understanding between the State Concern "Turkmenhimiýa" and the company "Toyo Engineering Corporation" (Japan) on interest in cooperation in the field of development of the chemical industry of Turkmenistan, Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Textile Industry of Turkmenistan and the company "Masui Holdings Co., Ltd." on cooperation in the field of textile industry. The main documents also include a Joint Statement on the results of the Business Forum of the Central Asia–Japan Dialogue.