Translated with AI
The international expert community is closely monitoring the transformation of the role of regional diplomacy in the modern world. Diplomatic dialogue between different regions is becoming a key tool not only for strengthening international ties, but also for effectively solving global problems in the context of growing interdependence of states.
In this context, the cooperation format between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Central Asian countries (CA) represents a unique model of interregional interaction. The uniqueness of this format lies in the fact that it unites two geostrategically important regions, each of which has its own specific development, but at the same time has deep historical, cultural and religious ties.
Historical perspective of diplomatic relations
The interaction between Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, which has lasted for more than two millennia, has undergone several significant transformations.
The Great Silk Road, which emerged in the 2nd century BC, created the first system of sustainable economic contacts between regions. The Central Asian states served as key transit points through which goods were exchanged – from Chinese silk and Samarkand paper to Arabian incense and jewelry.
The spread of Islam in the 8th century gave this interaction a spiritual and intellectual dimension. Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities became scientific centers of the Islamic world. Outstanding scholars of Central Asia – al-Bukhari, al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina – created works that became fundamental for the entire Islamic civilization.
Since the 16th century, traditional ties have weakened due to geopolitical changes and the opening of sea trade routes. In the 20th century, Soviet isolation further alienated the regions.
The independence of the Central Asian states in 1991 opened a new page in relations.
Key stages in the formation of diplomatic dialogue
The formation of a systematic diplomatic dialogue between the GCC and Central Asia has gone through several important stages, each of which has made a significant contribution to the development of cooperation between the two regions.
The first stage (1991-2000) was the time of formation of bilateral relations, during which the parties became acquainted with each other's political systems and economic capabilities. During this period, the first diplomatic missions were opened and basic interstate agreements, mainly of a framework nature, were concluded. Cooperation developed gradually, since both parties needed time to better understand the specifics and prospects for interaction between Central Asia and the GCC countries.
The second stage (2001-2010) was marked by the development of bilateral relations and the formation of a legal framework for interaction. During this period, numerous cooperation agreements were signed in various fields, including economics, culture, and education. It is especially necessary to note the intensification of trade, economic, financial, and investment interaction. At this time, the first major investment projects with the participation of Arab capital in Central Asia were implemented. The main areas included: the development of irrigation systems and the modernization of agricultural infrastructure in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the implementation of oil and gas projects in Turkmenistan, and support for humanitarian and educational initiatives in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The third stage (2011-2020) was characterized by diversification of cooperation areas and the first attempts to institutionalize dialogue; there was an expansion of areas of interaction, inclusion of security issues, counter-terrorism, and ecology in the agenda. It is noteworthy that the first contacts began on a multilateral basis, in particular, in the format of meetings of foreign ministers.
A significant diplomatic event of this time was the meeting of the foreign ministers of Central Asia and the League of Arab States, held in Riyadh in 2014, which laid the conceptual foundation for the subsequent intensification of interregional dialogue. This meeting served as an institutional precedent for the formation of a more focused format of interaction between Central Asia and the GCC.
Analysts note that the results of the meeting in the capital of Saudi Arabia demonstrated significant potential for cooperation between the states of the two regions, which stimulated political elites to search for more effective formats of cooperation.
It should be emphasized that one of the key factors that contributed to the intensification of interaction between the two regions was the internal reforms in the Central Asian countries, especially in Uzbekistan, as well as the strengthening of regional cooperation within Central Asia. These processes created more favorable conditions for the development of external relations and the attraction of foreign investment.
In this context, the formation of the "Samarkand Consensus" in 2017 can be noted. During the High-Level International Conference in Samarkand, the Central Asian states consolidated their positions on regional cooperation issues, laying the foundation for more systemic cooperation. International recognition of this initiative was secured in June 2018 by the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a special resolution supporting regional integration processes. These events created favorable conditions for the subsequent formation of more comprehensive formats of international cooperation, including the Central Asian-GCC dialogue.
The fourth stage (2021 to present) marks the transition of bilateral cooperation to a multilateral format. This process culminated in the historic first GCC-CA summit, which opened a new chapter in relations between the regions.
This event was preceded by careful preparation, consisting of a series of consultations at the expert level; multi-stage negotiations between foreign ministers; and the development of a comprehensive cooperation agenda.
First GCC-CA summit in Jeddah
On July 19, 2023, the first historic summit of the heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This event marked a new stage in relations between the two regions and laid the foundation for systematic multilateral cooperation.
The summit, chaired by Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was attended by the presidents of all five Central Asian republics and leaders of GCC member states.
Opening the summit, the Saudi Crown Prince highlighted the historical connection between the regions and noted the economic potential of cooperation: “Our summit today is just a continuation of these ties to make a promising start based on our historical heritage, capabilities, human resources and economic growth, which has contributed to the fact that the gross domestic product of our countries has reached almost 2.3 trillion US dollars.”
The most important outcome of the summit was the adoption of the Joint Action Plan between the GCC and the Central Asian countries for 2023-2027. This document defined the main areas of cooperation, including political dialogue and security issues, economic cooperation and investment opportunities, strengthening ties between peoples and establishing effective partnerships between business sectors.
“We welcome the adoption of a joint action plan between the Cooperation Council and the Central Asian countries for the period from 2023 to 2027. It envisages working on issues of political stability, strengthening dialogue, cooperation in the economic and investment spheres, and establishing effective partnerships,” said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He called on the summit participants to intensify efforts aimed at ensuring energy security and the sustainability of global food supply chains.
The heads of state of Central Asia made specific proposals for developing cooperation.
In particular, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev initiated the creation of a joint council of investors with the participation of business representatives and to hold its first meeting in Samarkand, emphasized the relevance of creating a free trade zone with the Gulf countries, called on partners to take an active part in the project to build the Trans-Afghan Railway, which will connect the Gulf states with Central Asia along the shortest route. He also put forward an initiative to organize a single visa-free tourist space "Gulf – Central Asia".
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov proposed that the Gulf countries participate in the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Kambar-Ata-1 hydroelectric power station. Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev advocated the creation of a mechanism for meetings of agriculture ministers and the development of cooperation in the energy sector. In his speech, Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon focused on the creation of a specialized Investment and Development Support Fund, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov announced an initiative to establish a joint Transport Committee of the Central Asia-GCC countries.
The leaders stressed the importance of strengthening political and strategic relations at the collective and bilateral levels, as well as continuing political coordination to achieve regional and international security and stability. To this end, a permanent mechanism was established – the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central Asian and GCC countries, which should ensure regular political dialogue between the regions.
One of the key decisions of the summit was the designation of Uzbekistan as the host country of the next summit.
Second summit in Samarkand
Following the successful First GCC-Central Asia Summit, active preparations have begun for the Second Summit, scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan in May 2025. The choice of Samarkand, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia with a rich history and cultural heritage, as the venue for the summit is symbolic. This city has functioned for centuries as a key center of commercial ties, intellectual progress and international diplomacy.
From a historical perspective, from Samarkand the universe has always been perceived as a holistic and indivisible entity, devoid of artificial barriers and fragmentation. It is this concept that forms the core of the unique phenomenon known as the "Samarkand Consensus". In modern conditions, a fundamentally new paradigm of international interaction is being formed on the foundation of this philosophy.
Preparations for the second summit include a number of important events aimed at implementing the agreements reached at the first summit and forming the agenda of the upcoming summit. In December 2024, during a telephone conversation between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, preparations for the second summit were discussed.
An important stage in the preparation for the summit was the Second Ministerial Meeting of the GCC-Central Asia Strategic Dialogue, which took place in Tashkent on 15 April 2024. Within the framework of this meeting, the implementation of the results of the first summit was reviewed and further steps for the development of cooperation were outlined.
Following the meeting, the ministers stressed the need to develop trade and economic ties between the regions, including cooperation in ensuring sustainable supply chains, transport and transit links, food, energy and water resources, as well as the implementation of joint investment projects and the development of clean energy. Particular attention was paid to preparations for the first Investment Forum of the Gulf and Central Asia, which was held in Riyadh on May 29 last year.
The expected results of the summit in Samarkand include the adoption of new strategic documents defining the further development of cooperation between the two regions, the launch of a number of joint projects and initiatives, and the strengthening of the institutional basis for interaction. Particular attention is expected to be paid to issues of digitalization, innovation, artificial intelligence, sustainable economy and intelligent agriculture.
Uzbekistan, acting as the host country, is actively preparing to host the summit, using its experience in organizing other international events.
In particular, similar to the preparations for the recent Central Asia-European Union summit, which was held in Samarkand on April 3-4, 2025, large-scale work is expected to ensure security, logistics and infrastructure for the high-level event.
One of the key tasks in preparation for the summit is to ensure continuity and further development of the results achieved at the first summit, as well as the formation of a long-term cooperation strategy that takes into account the interests of all participating countries and responds to the current challenges of our time.
Key areas of cooperation between Central Asian and GCC countries
Economic cooperation and investment represent a fundamental area of interaction between the GCC and Central Asia. Analysts note that Gulf economic activity in Central Asia has expanded significantly in recent years, due to both the diversification of the GCC economies and the improvement of the investment climate in Central Asian states.
One of the key factors driving the GCC countries’ interest in Central Asia is their desire to diversify their economies and reduce their dependence on the oil and gas sector. In this context, the long-term development strategies adopted by all Gulf countries to create an economy independent of oil and invest in green technologies resonate with Central Asian countries, which view the GCC’s innovative progress as an attractive development model.
Central Asia is a promising capacious market with more than 80 million consumers. The region contains 7% of the world's oil and gas reserves, large deposits of rare earth critical materials. Reserves for 10 critical materials available in the region range from 5.2% to 38.6%.
According to UN estimates, the region's population will exceed 100 million people by 2050. At the same time, the region will remain one of the youngest – the average age of the population will be about 30 years.
Over the past seven years, the region's economy has grown from $273.3 billion to $450 billion, indicating significant potential for investment and trade.
An important feature of economic cooperation is its multi-vector nature. Investments from the GCC countries are directed to various sectors of the Central Asian states’ economies, including energy, agriculture, infrastructure, real estate, tourism and the financial sector.
Cooperation in the field of renewable energy is developing particularly actively. Leading companies from the GCC countries, including ACWA Power, Masdar, Mubadala, TACA and Nebras Power, are actively involved in the implementation of solar and wind power plant construction projects in Central Asia. In particular, in Uzbekistan, it is planned to build facilities with a total capacity of more than 15 gigawatts, including energy storage facilities, which contributes to the development of sustainable energy and the introduction of advanced technologies in the region.
Developing a comprehensive roadmap for cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources and creating a research program based at the Climate University in Uzbekistan would allow synergistically combining the technological potential of the Gulf countries with the natural resources of Central Asia.
Special attention is paid to the formation of effective mechanisms for stimulating investment. At the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Dialogue, proposals on mechanisms for encouraging investment from participating countries were considered. The CA-GCC Investors Council could be promising in this regard for coordinating large projects in infrastructure and energy.
The development of digital infrastructure is of particular importance. The formation of a single platform for e-commerce between Central Asia and the GCC has the potential to multiply the volume of online trade, which is particularly relevant in the context of global challenges associated with the disruption of traditional supply chains.
Transport and logistics infrastructure is becoming a critical element in deepening economic integration. The initiative put forward at the summit in Jeddah by the President of Uzbekistan envisages the implementation of the Trans-Afghan Railway project. According to experts, the implementation of this strategic initiative will reduce the time of cargo transportation between regions by 30-40% and reduce logistics costs by 15-20%.
In addition, the GCC states are demonstrating interest in participating in the construction of transcontinental transport arteries, including the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway lines, which could dramatically improve Central Asia’s connectivity with global markets.
Tourism development has become an important component of economic cooperation. Regular air traffic has already been expanded between the capitals of the two regions, and joint tourist routes have been developed. In addition, the introduction of a visa-free zone between the countries of Central Asia and the Gulf contributes to an active increase in tourist flows and the strengthening of business contacts.
Security and counter-terrorism issues occupy an important place on the cooperation agenda. Both regions face serious security challenges, including terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and cross-border crime. In this regard, coordination of efforts in the security sphere is becoming one of the priority areas of interaction.
At the Jeddah summit, the leaders of the GCC and Central Asian countries stressed the need for continued political coordination to achieve regional and international security and stability. A joint statement issued at the end of the summit noted the need to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism, extremism and other forms of cross-border crime.
The international expert community pays special attention to the Afghan problem, given that without establishing lasting peace in this country it is impossible to ensure not only regional but also global security. Afghanistan, which has common borders with three Central Asian states, is a critical factor in the stability of the entire region, which necessitates the coordination of efforts by all interested parties, including the GCC and Central Asian countries.
Cooperation in the security sphere also includes combating terrorist financing, countering radicalization and extremist propaganda, especially in the Internet space. The countries of the two regions have considerable experience in these areas, and joining efforts can increase the effectiveness of countering these threats.
As part of the institutionalization of cooperation on security issues, the possibility of creating a regular consultation mechanism between the relevant bodies of the GCC and Central Asian countries, as well as holding joint seminars, conferences and other events aimed at exchanging experiences and developing common approaches to solving security problems is being discussed.
It should be emphasized that security cooperation between the GCC and Central Asia is based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states, which creates a solid foundation for interaction.
It is these fundamental principles, extending to all areas of interregional dialogue, that make it possible to build long-term partnerships based on equality and mutual respect for the interests of the parties.
Moreover, this type of connection represents a fundamentally new model of regional diplomacy, distinguished by the complex nature of interaction and the multifaceted nature of the initiatives being implemented.
The potential of this model goes beyond bilateral interaction, acquiring strategic significance in the context of the formation of new transport and logistics corridors, energy alliances and investment mechanisms in the vast area from the Arabian Peninsula to the borders of China. At the same time, the commonality of cultural and civilizational values and historical heritage creates a solid foundation for long-term cooperation.
Alisher Kadirov, Head of the ISMI Department under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
