2021/235 - twesco.org

2021/235

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CONTENTTURKISH, CHINESE PRESIDENTS SPEAK OVER PHONE, DISCUSS STEPS TO IMPROVE BILATERAL TIES ......................................................... 2

CONFERENCE “CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA: REGIONAL INTERCONNECTIVITY. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES” WAS HELD IN TASHKENT .................................................................................................. 3

ASHGABAT PREPARES FOR TURKMENISTAN-AZERBAIJAN-TURKEY SUMMIT ................................................................................................................................... 4

MEETING OF THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE STATESOF CENTRAL ASIA WAS HELD ......................................................................................... 5

COOPERATION ISSUES BETWEEN THE CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES AND THE USA DISCUSSED WITHIN THE “C5+1” FORMAT ...................................... 6

THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES WAS HELD ...................................................................................................... 7

SCO DISCUSSED SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN ........................................................ 8

CASPIAN POLICY CENTER (CPC) VISITED THE TURKIC ACADEMY ................... 9

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON REGIONAL SECURITY IN ASIA WAS HELD WITHIN CICA .................................................................................................10

AZERBAIJAN WILL CHAIR THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT FOR ONE MORE YEAR ......................................................................................................11

KYRGYZSTAN RECEIVES 340 ETHNIC KYRGYZ WHE FLED FROMAFGHANISTAN TO TAJIKISTAN .....................................................................................12

SOURCES ...............................................................................................................................13

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Turkic Weekly #235 International Turkic Academy

TURKISH, CHINESE PRESIDENTS SPEAK OVER PHONE, DISCUSS STEPS TO IMPROVE

BILATERAL TIES

On July 13, 2021, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with President Xi Jinping of China.

Regional developments and steps to advance Turkey-China relations, particularly in trade, investment, energy, transportation and healthcare, were discussed during the talk.

Noting that 2021 was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and China, President Erdoğan expressed his wish to celebrate this significant anniversary in a way befitting the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

Pointing to the great potential for cooperation between Turkey and China in every area of regional and global economy and diplomacy, President Erdoğan underscored that the High Level Joint-Working Group would add great momentum to the cooperation between the two countries.

Highlighting the importance of the Uyghurs living in prosperity, freedom and peace as equal citizens of China, President Erdoğan voiced Turkey’s respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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On 15-16 July 2021, the Conference “Central and South Asıa: Regıonal Interconnectivity. Challenges and opportunities” was held in Tashkent with wide participation. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles, foreign ministers of more than 20 countries, a total of 600 people attended the conference.

At the conference, it was emphasized that the development of relations between Central and South Asia would have a positive impact on the future of Afghanistan. In this context, it was emphasized that transportation, trade, energy and security relations should be raised to a higher level. An agreement was reached between the parties to intensify the communication. In the conference final declaration, Afghanistan was accepted as a “regional bridge” between Center and South Asia.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Chief Advisor to the US President, who came together within the framework of the conference, announced that they had created a new four-sided platform for the solution of the Afghanistan problem.

CONFERENCE “CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA: REGIONAL INTERCONNECTIVITY.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES” WAS HELD IN TASHKENT

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ASHGABAT PREPARES FOR TURKMENISTAN-AZERBAIJAN-TURKEY SUMMIT

The summit of the heads of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey will be held in August. On July 17, President Berdimuhamedov announced this at an enlarged meeting of the Government.

“A Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia will be organized in August, followed by a summit of the leaders of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey,” Berdimuhamedov said, noting that this event will contribute to «further strengthening trilateral friendly relations.»

As reported at the meeting of the Government, the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia will be held on August 6 in Avaza. Apparently, a trilateral summit with the participation of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey will also take place in the National Tourist Zone on the Caspian coast.

It was informed that the holding of this high-level summit became known in February of this year following the results of the trilateral meeting of the heads of the foreign ministries in Ankara.

On June 29, Berdimuhamedov discussed this topic with the President of Turkey by phone. At the same time, Erdogan sent a message to the President of Turkmenistan, in which he said that «he is looking forward to this meeting.»

It is expected that one of the central topics of the talks between the presidents of the three countries will be the discussion of the possibility of transferring Turkmen energy resources to Europe in connection with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on January 21, 2021 in Ashgabat on joint exploration, exploitation and development of the Dostluk hydrocarbon field in the Caspian.

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On the 14th of July 2021, upon the initiative of the Turkmen side, the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the states of Central Asia took place in Tashkent. The heads of MFA of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, as well as the First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic have arrived to the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan to participate to the High Level International Conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities”.

During the comprehensive talks, the parties discussed the most pressing issues of cooperation between the countries of the region in political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

The main topic of the discussions was the preparation to the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia, as well as the events of political, economic and humanitarian scope organized in the framework of the Meeting, which is planned to take place in Turkmenistan in August of current year.

The Ministers exchanged views regarding the agenda of the upcoming meeting, as well as discussed the legal-contractual part of the upcoming Consultative Meeting, in particular the documents planned to be adopted. The organizational and protocol matters were also discussed.

In addition, the Ministers discussed the regional issues and cooperation in the framework of multilateral structures, as well as agreed to work on strengthening the external policy partnership.

MEETING OF THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE STATES

OF CENTRAL ASIA WAS HELD

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COOPERATION ISSUES BETWEEN THE CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES AND THE USA DISCUSSED

WITHIN THE “C5+1” FORMAT

On the 15th of July 2021, the talks in “C5+1” format were held in Tashkent between the heads of external policy agencies of the countries of Central Asia and the U.S. delegation led by the Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. The U.S. Special representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad also attended the meeting.

During the talks, the parties discussed the key vectors of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the U.S.A. in political-diplomatic, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Combatting the climate change and ecological problems, developing transport-transit potential of the region were voiced among the priority directions of collaboration.

A constructive exchange of views took place on strengthening the connectivity between the Central and South Asia in accordance with the theme of the High-level International Conference taking place in Tashkent.

The parties expressed interest in the advancement of diplomatic dialogue aimed at the reinforcement of cooperation on countering the threats and challenges to regional security. The Afghan issues were considered. The participants of the meeting expressed commitment to the establishment of stable and smooth conditions facilitating the peace process in Afghanistan.

Upon completion of the talks, the participants adopted a Joint Statement.

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On July 16, 2021, in Tashkent on the sidelines of the International Conference «Central Asia - South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities”, the fourth meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov with the ministries foreign affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan took place.

The focus was on the topic of security in the region, primarily in the context of the degrading situation in neighboring Afghanistan. The ministers exchanged assessments of the evolving situation, approaches to stimulating an inter-Afghan settlement in the new geopolitical realities associated with the withdrawal of US troops and a number of other NATO member states from this country. Following the discussion, a joint statement was adopted on the situation in Afghanistan.

Common approaches have been reaffirmed with regard to threats emanating from international terrorist organizations, illegal drug trafficking, and foreign terrorist fighters who are coming to Afghanistan from the war zones in the Middle East and North Africa. The importance of maintaining joint coordinated work at the highest level in order to minimize the negative impact of these risks on the security of the regional countries was noted.

THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN

FEDERATION AND CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES WAS HELD

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SCO DISCUSSED SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN

On July 13-14, 2021, a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO CFM) was held in Dushanbe.

Priority attention was paid to the issues of substantive content of the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States in September, which will be held under the sign of the 20th anniversary of the organization’s creation. The leaders will analyze the results of joint work over the past period, determine the main guidelines and priority steps to give the SCO a new dynamic and quality, and to enhance its role in world affairs.

The ministers reviewed the progress in preparing documents designed to promote cooperation between the SCO member states in the spheres of politics, security, economy and humanitarian ties. Common approaches to solving multifaceted tasks will be reflected in the Dushanbe Declaration of the Twentieth Anniversary of the SCO, profile programs and action plans. Expert study of the relevant projects continues.

The state of affairs in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the context of the withdrawal of foreign troops from this country took a special place among the topical international and regional problems on the Ministerial Council agenda. With the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the IRA, a meeting was held in the format of the “SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group”. The statement adopted by the ministries of the foreign affairs of the SCO member states reaffirmed, in particular, the principled position on the non-alternative settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through political dialogue and the implementation of an inclusive peace process by the Afghans and led by Afghans.

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On July 12, 2021, the Caspian Policy Center (CPC) delegation, located in Washington DC, USA visited the Turkic Academy. The delegation headed by CPC CEO Efgan Nifti included former US Ambassador to Kazakhstan and CPC Board Member Richard E. Hoagland, CPC Program Assistant Jeremy Cohen and CPC Senior Program Manager Akbota Karibayeva. During the visit, cooperation issues between the CPC and the Turkic Academy were discussed.

The President of the Turkic Academy, Darkhan Kydyrali, gave information about the aims and activities of the institution and explained the activities organized by the Academy in the headquarters of important international organizations such as the UN, UNECO and ISESCO.

Head of CPC Delegation Efgan Nifti stated that CPC is the most important think tank in the USA that conducts research on Central Asia and the Caspian region. In this context, he emphasized that they are honored to make the first official visit of the CPC delegation to the Academy in Nur-Sultan.

Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland stated that he served in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for a long time and that he closely followed the developments in the region and noted that the importance of the Central Asian region in the international arena has increased.

Efgan Nifti, who appreciated the projects carried out by the Academy, stated that CPC is interested in cooperation with the Academy.

After the meeting, Academy President Darkhan Kydyrali gave CPC CEO Efgan Nifti the important works published by the Academy as the gifts.

CASPIAN POLICY CENTER (CPC) VISITED THE TURKIC ACADEMY

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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON REGIONAL SECURITY IN ASIA WAS HELD WITHIN CICA

On July 14, 2021, within the framework of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), an International Conference on Regional Security in Asia in the Context of Preventing New Challenges and Threats was held in the format of a videoconference, attended by experts from 17 CICA member states.

The event was organized by the Foreign Policy Research Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Institute of World Economics and Politics with the assistance of the CICA Secretariat.The Executive Director of the CICA Secretariat, Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, made a welcoming speech, who informed about the progress of the CICA process and the priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the Conference.

The speakers were high-profile experts from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies (Korea), the Shanghai Institute of International Studies (China), the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the National Security Administration of Iraq, the Institute of Strategic Studies of Islamabad (Pakistan), Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (Turkey) and others. During the speeches, the participants touched upon a range of issues related to new challenges and threats in the CICA space, the main of which are the spread of terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The speakers were particularly concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan and the prospects for its further development from the point of view of ensuring security and stability in the region.

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AZERBAIJAN WILL CHAIR THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT FOR ONE MORE YEAR

On July 13-14, 2021, Under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan, an interim ministerial conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in video format on the topic «The Non-Aligned Movement at the Center of Multilateral Efforts in Combating Global Challenges.»

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the main purpose of the conference was to discuss the progress made by the members of the Movement in the fight against global challenges since the Baku summit, and further steps to be taken in this direction. The conference, in which 33 countries were represented at the level of foreign ministers, was also attended by high-level representatives of NAM members and observer countries.

It is reported that after Azerbaijan, whose three-year chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement ends in 2022, announced that Uganda, which should become the next chairman of the Movement, could take the chairmanship a year later, the member countries of the Movement decided to extend Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for one more year.

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KYRGYZSTAN RECEIVES 340 ETHNIC KYRGYZ WHE FLED FROM AFGHANISTAN TO TAJIKISTAN

On July 14, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan released information about the Kyrgyz who fled to Tajikistan from the recent events in Afghanistan.

It says that information about the Pamir Kyrgyz is being verified, and that they are unable to obtain any specific information due to the difficult geography of the region and poor communication. However, efforts are being made to bring Afghan Kyrgyz to Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the relevant UN agency regarding the Afghan Kyrgyz. A note has been sent to Tajikistan requesting the unimpeded passage of Afghan Kyrgyz across the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.

At the same time, the issue is under the control of the president and the government.Earlier, Tajikistan’s border guards said that more than 340 ethnic Kyrgyz living in

Afghanistan had fled from the Taliban with their livestock.

Sources:

1. https://www.trend.az/2. https://azertag.az/3. https://www.akorda.kz/4. https://www.inform.kz/5. http://kabar.kg/6. https://tdh.gov.tm/7. https://turkmenportal.com/8. https://www.aa.com.tr/9. http://www.trt.net.tr/ 10. https://president.uz/11. https://dunyo.info/12. https://centralasia.news/

2021/235 - twesco.org

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