The "Central Asia + GCC Summit" in Saudi Arabia has become a pivotal moment in fostering interregional cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. The summit, initiated by Saudi Arabia, aims to strengthen ties in trade, economy, culture, and humanitarian efforts while enhancing investment projects, Special Euroasia reports.
The CA + GCC Summit, held on July 18-19, 2023, in Saudi Arabia, was proposed to evaluate projects carried out by Gulf Arab monarchies in Central Asia and explore further cooperation in cultural and religious domains.
During the summit, foreign affairs ministers from Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar) and Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) actively discussed areas of collaboration.
The participants agreed to intensify cooperation in various fields, including restoring supply chains disrupted by the pandemic, strengthening food, energy, and water security, promoting green energy, addressing environmental issues, exchanging best practices, and creating relevant trade and investment mechanisms.
Saudi Arabia, being the largest and most influential country in the Gulf region and a prominent player in the Islamic world, emphasizes the significance of religious factors as a unifying element in establishing political, economic, and other connections between the parties.
The summit's location in Jeddah, the financial capital of Saudi Arabia, is strategic for systematizing and institutionalizing interactions between the Gulf countries and their projects in Central Asia.
The Gulf countries have been actively investing in the region, fostering economic partnerships and projects. For example, Kazakhstan received significant financial support from Saudi Arabia's sovereign investment fund, indicating potential opportunities for further collaboration. Uzbekistan entered investment agreements worth $14 bn with Saudi Arabia and witnessed increased investments from the United Arab Emirates, particularly in its energy sector. Qatar also made substantial investments in the region, including a $100 mn project to construct the largest mosque in Tajikistan.
The creation of the "CA + GCC" format represents a new geopolitical alignment of major projects in the region, attracting attention from external players like Russia, the United States, China, the European Union, Iran, and Turkey. The GCC, functioning as an external actor, seeks to adopt a unified approach towards Central Asian countries.
Despite the geographical distance between the two regions, the religious factor, Islam, plays a vital role in bringing Gulf countries and Central Asia closer. Monitoring the developments of the CA + GCC format will be crucial in understanding its long-term implications, especially as other external players continue to exert their influence in the region.
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