A summit between the Cooperation Council of the Gulf States and the Central Asian countries was held in Jeddah. The objective is to expand economic collaboration from the religious community. Around 50,000 Saudi tourists visit the historic cities of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan every year.
Jeddah () – On July 19, the first summit of the “Cooperation Council of the Gulf States – Central Asia” format was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, attended by representatives of 11 countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain along with the presidents of the five Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmen tan. The meeting was held at the initiative of Riyadh, with the aim of promoting interregional economic collaboration, the expansion of investment opportunities, security and the development of humanitarian relations. The meeting was chaired by the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Muhammed bin Salman, who stressed the need to intensify collective efforts to solve the problems that affect energy security and the global production chain.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov focused on issues related to Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen and Syria, as well as Sudan and Ukraine. As reported by the press service, he noted that “any conflict should be resolved exclusively by political and diplomatic means, at the negotiating table and on the basis of commonly recognized principles and norms of international law.” Zhaparov also made proposals for economic cooperation, speaking on behalf of all his colleagues in the region.
He explained that “Central Asia has great potential in the field of trade, of the logistics transition between Asia and Europe, which is why I suggest entrusting our governments to propose new forms of collaboration, exchanging experiences and skills in all important sectors, from energy to infrastructure, including agriculture, health, tourism, information technology and all innovations.” Zhaparov then proposed to the Gulf States the possibility of participating in the mega-project for the construction of a new railway line “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan”, to facilitate the transport of all types of goods and at the same time “stimulate cultural exchange”.
The Omani delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Sayid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, who on behalf of Sultan Oman Haysam addressed the question of Palestine: “the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, with the capital in East Jerusalem”, as provided for in international agreements and peace initiatives of Arab countries. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also intervened to point out that Central Asian countries are expanding the visa-free entry regime, based on greater collaboration with the Persian Gulf region; he also insisted on the need to counter Islamophobia, extremism and racism throughout the world.
Saudi Investment Minister Halid bin Abdel made very optimistic remarks after the meeting about expanding relations between the countries of the two regions, which “are important parts of the international market system, and the religious community, which has existed since the 14th century and makes these relations particularly strong.” Kyrgyz deputy Nurzhigit Kadyrbekov, at the head of the “Kyrgyz-Arab Friendship” group, recalled that “until now there was no venue for Arab and Central Asian leaders to meet in person, but now many new possibilities are opening up, they are two regions that need each other… they do not have the nature that we have and we do not have the oil that they have.”
Arabs are particularly interested in tourism in Central Asian countries and their agricultural production. According to this year’s statistics, about 50,000 tourists from the Gulf, mainly from Saudi Arabia, visited the historic cities and mountain resort areas between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Asian foods are also very popular among Arabs, especially mountain honey.
