The prospects for cooperation were discussed by the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia in a six-party format in Astana. At the Central Asia-Russia summit, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the region is the essential link between the world’s largest markets. Now it is important to focus on the development of transport and transit routes, including the potential of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, which is the shortest route connecting East Asia and Persian Gulf countries. The Head of State placed particular emphasis on further opportunities for intra-regional trade and the expansion of trade between the states. Last year, the trade value exceeded US$6 billion thanks to joint efforts of the countries. In addition, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the need to improve the mechanism for economic cooperation between the Central Asian countries and Russia. He proposed to develop and adopt a new partnership model. A particular focus should be put on measures to support small and medium-sized businesses, the launch of joint projects in the energy, industry, agriculture, transport and logistics sectors.
