Despite the objective global trends and complexities, the CIS summit in Astana confirmed the common desire of participants to maintain stable relations and, at the same time, the importance of giving these relations proper dynamics and acceleration.
The meeting in Astana was preceded by a one-day informal CIS summit that took place a week before the forum in Kazakhstan. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gathered at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The leaders of the CIS countries discussed the priority areas of the CIS activities, as well as plans to strengthen and develop mutually beneficial partnerships. They agreed that the meeting provided the opportunity to exchange views in a friendly atmosphere on topical issues relating to cooperation in priority areas and compare positions before the ensuing annual full-scale meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State in Astana.
Undoubtedly, the CIS format makes it possible to build clear lines and priorities of partnership, building upon its unquestionably strong points, such as accumulated experience of cooperation, equal nature, responsibility of leaders, common historical background and deep-rooted humanitarian ties.
These factors can and should continue playing a positive, constructive role in the affirmation of viability of the CIS not only as an important interstate mechanism in a part of the post-Soviet space but also a partnership model that is attractive to neighboring countries and regions. First of all, the point is about economic, trade and investment relations. Turkmenistan puts forward specific and economically justified proposals and initiatives in this regard.
Speaking at the summit, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov referred to the Declaration on Strategic Economic Cooperation of the CIS Member States developed by Turkmenistan that became the basis of the CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2030 adopted later. The priorities of the strategy features the areas that have always been prioritized by Turkmenistan, such as transport, the fuel and energy complex, communications, industrial cooperation, trade, innovations and technologies. The current potential of the CIS makes it possible to speak in practical terms about implementation of significant projects in these promising sectors and make the territories of the participating countries the main routes of economic cooperation on the continent, connecting the South-North and East-West routes, Europe and Asia in a broad sense.
In this context, the President of Turkmenistan noted the importance of promoting the economic vectors and interests of the CIS beyond its geographical boundaries, integrating neighboring countries and regions into its projects. Above all, this relates to creation of transport and transit infrastructure, optimization and expansion of energy supplies, construction of new communication lines.
In particular, an initiative was put forward to use the opportunities for cooperation in the Caspian region, create a modern system of combined logistics in this region with the participation of states that do not have direct access to the oceans. Most of the CIS countries, by the way, belong to this category. In this regard, Turkmenistan proposed at the summit to consider the prospects for using its port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea for the benefit of the CIS, including the capacity of the International Seaport of Turkmenbashi, as well as the growing merchant fleet of Turkmenistan. Noting that the Caspian direction should take its proper place in the long-term plans of the CIS, Serdar Berdimuhamedov suggested treating it as a zone of priority economic partnership.
The Turkmen leader’s proposals in the energy sector look no less significant and innovative. As is known, Turkmenistan has initiated energy, transport and communication projects that are currently being implemented in the southern direction to Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. There are plans to diversify these projects to ensure access to the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. Serdar Berdimuhamedov called on the CIS countries to join these projects.
As for development of trade relations within the CIS, Turkmenistan also actuated creative work for the soonest overcoming of the objective obstacles that slowed down business ties during the pandemic. In particular, Turkmenistan proposed to organize a multi-profile exhibition-fair of manufacturers from the CIS countries as a platform for establishing further substantive partnerships, boosting trade, restarting production cycles and cooperative relations in various industries.
Speaking about the foreign policy agenda, the President of Turkmenistan called for adoption of measures to create a strong, long-term and indivisible security system in the CIS space, effective defense mechanisms that would prevent the CIS from turning into an arena of confrontation and conflicts. In this regard, it is important to improve the international legal and organizational framework of the CIS in these areas. To this effect, the Turkmen leader suggested starting the development and coordination of such framework. “Together we must ensure that the CIS space remains a zone of stability and trust with no risks for peace and development,” Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized.
Establishing a Coordinating Committee for holding international sports games under the auspices of the CIS Council for Physical Culture and Sports was another new initiative of Turkmenistan. More specifically, this is about the beginning of work to organize regular “Friendship Games” that would be open not only for sportsmen from the CIS but also from other interested countries. “Friendship Games” can be seasonal and held not only in the professional format but also for youth and children in certain sports, etc. Taking into account the country’s experience in organizing major sports competitions and availability of good infrastructure, Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed to hold the first “Friendship Games” in Turkmenistan.
In Astana, the President of Turkmenistan also took part in the meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Russia – the first meeting of this format at the highest level. Addressing the participants, Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that this meeting marks the continuation of close multifaceted cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Russia on the main issues of the global and regional agenda. The most important of them relate to ensuring peace, stability and security as a key factor for the successful development of states, expansion and deepening of integration economic and trade relations, resolution of social and humanitarian problems.
Turkmenistan confirmed its strong commitment to development of good-neighborly, friendly, equal relations between the participating countries and its readiness for further constructive interaction.