THE BASIC TRENDS IN CENTRAL ASIA
NEW POLITICAL DYNAMISM IN CENTRAL ASIA:
SECURITY ISSUES AND PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION
Rustam Khuramov,
Head of the Department, the Institute of Strategic and Regional
Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Annotation
The article examines the issues of regional security and prospects of cooperation between the countries of
Central Asia in the context of a new world order. As factors of sustainable development and security the author
considers preservation of geopolitical balance in Central Asia; development of multivariate system of transport and
communication corridors; cardinal increase of efficiency of counteraction to terrorism and religious extremism; the
solution of the Afghan problem; settlement of problems of fair water use and ecology in the region.
Under the influence of globalization, structural changes are taking place in the modern
system of international relations, and political and economic interdependence between countries is
growing rapidly. Under these conditions, the development of the international political situation is
becoming intense, practically uncontrollable and unpredictable. The range of threats to regional
security and stability is expanding, including terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking and
transnational crime. The problems of food, energy and environmental security in some regions of the
world are being exacerbated. Moreover, the growing gap between rich and poor countries is
escalating inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions.
The rapid changes taking place in the modern world, the growth of challenges and threats,
and the escalation of tensions in various parts of the world require the Central Asian states to pay
close attention to ensuring security at the national and regional levels. In particular, geographically
surrounded by four nuclear powers – Russia, China, India and Pakistan, Central Asia is in close
proximity to today's major hot spots of armed conflict and frozen conflicts.
At the same time, according to experts, the situation in the neighboring and remote regions,
where armed confrontation continues, the growing scale of challenges and threats of terrorism and
religious extremism, drug trafficking and organized crime will systematically affect the stability and
security in Central Asia. In this regard, the security of Central Asia is an integral part of global security.
As President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that "Central Asia is a single organism
that has had a common culture for centuries. Historical community, linguistic similarity, common
traditions and customs give us enormous opportunities to be together and to build our common
future together, to turn Central Asia into a stable, economically developed and prosperous region."
Meanwhile, the ability of the Central Asian countries to work together with a view of ensuring peace,
stability and prosperity in the region will largely determine the dynamics of the most important
processes in Eurasia. The States of the region, aware of the indivisibility of security and the common
historical destinies of the peoples living in Central Asia, are making concerted efforts at both the
bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure peace and stability in Central Asia.
The status quo in Central Asia can be described as favorable for the development of
multifaceted and mutually beneficial inter-state cooperation between the countries of the region.
Thus, over the past two years, the political dialogue at the highest level has significantly intensified,
interdepartmental and inter-regional relations of neighboring countries have improved, as a result of
which there is an increase in trade and economic relations. But most importantly, a new impetus has
been given to the process of solving long-standing regional problems.
37