On November 16, the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia was held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also participated in the meeting. The decision adopted at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia became one of the most significant diplomatic outcomes of recent years.
Thus, Azerbaijan has officially joined the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia as a full-fledged participant, which serves as an effective format for discussing the most sensitive and strategically important issues of regional development.
The current format is expected to be further strengthened with Azerbaijan's participation. Moreover, considering the economic capabilities of the participating states, there is a possibility of the format changing and evolving into a more institutional economic union.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed the creation of a new regional cooperation organization for Central Asian countries. Mirziyoyev named the new entity the “Central Asian Union” and stated that its purpose is to strengthen economic integration in the region.
He proposed transforming the informal leaders' meetings into a formal regional bloc.
The Uzbek leader also emphasized the necessity of expanding cooperation in the economic, security, and environmental spheres.
Central Asia, rich in energy and mineral resources, has been subject to Russian influence economically and politically for many years, but recently the region has come into the focus of the West. China, meanwhile, is further strengthening its commercial influence in the region.
In a statement to Modern.az, Elchin Mirzabayli, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties, stated that the Central Asian region has been in the spotlight in recent years both in terms of economic dynamics and political integration:
“The Consultative Council is, in essence, a high-level political platform where Central Asian heads of state discuss regional issues. However, in recent years, a number of steps have been taken towards structuring the format.
The establishment of the Council of National Coordinators, the formation of a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of decisions, and parallel meetings on economic, transport, and energy issues are transforming it from a political level into a multi-faceted platform.
Azerbaijan's acceptance as a full-fledged participant indicates that the format is inclined towards expansion and becoming more than just a regional bloc.
Although Central Asian countries have been within the sphere of influence of major powers like Russia and China for many years, they have recently shown greater interest in establishing independent regional policies. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's proposal of the “Central Asian Community” idea is a deliberate step in this direction. This initiative demonstrates the existence of political will for the creation of an institutional bloc in the future.
The countries of the region require explicit coordination of energy resources, water resources, transport routes, and border crossings. The success of major projects like the Middle Corridor also depends precisely on such coordination. This is a key factor indicating that integration is a natural necessity”.
According to the deputy, the large financial and infrastructure investments directed by the European Union to Central Asia within the framework of the Global Gateway program strengthen normative standardization, legislative compliance, institutional transparency, and governance harmonization in the region, which can create a favorable ground for the transfer of certain elements of the European model to Central Asia:
“There are some fundamental obstacles for Central Asian countries to transform into a structure with supranational powers like the European Union.
The experience of the European Union shows that for deep integration, member states must agree to transfer a certain part of their sovereignty to Brussels. However, in Central Asian countries, the nature of political systems, statehood culture, and governance traditions make such a step difficult.
Russia and China do not want to lose their influence in the region. The formation of a fully independent and strong regional alliance, however, could alter this balance. For this reason, external pressures may slow down the integration process.
The European Union possesses a multi-tiered administrative apparatus, legislative and executive institutions, and permanent secretariats. Central Asian countries, however, have not yet reached the stage of creating such a structure.
Political regimes, governance models, and democratic standards vary sharply among the countries of the region. This complicates the formation of a unified normative space.
As a strategic forecast, the formation of the Consultative Council of the Heads of State of Central Asia into a broader and more institutional integration p in the future is a realistic and highly probable process.
In the short-term perspective, the expansion of economic cooperation, coordination of transport and energy projects, and the formation of institutional mechanisms are possible.
In the long-term perspective, the formation of a single economic space or the creation of a tighter economic integration model can be considered probable. However, the likelihood of a complete transition to the EU model is very low.
Overall, the Consultative Council of the Heads of State of Central Asia is already moving beyond the ordinary summit format and becoming the main coordination platform for integration in the region. Azerbaijan's participation in this process elevates the format to a broader plane of regional cooperation. In general, current trends indicate that Central Asia could transform into a unified economic center in the long-term, but this process will be carried out cautiously, in stages, and taking into account the regional balance of power”.
