Uzbekistan and the Strategic Transformation of Regional Cooperation in Central Asia

by Vladimir Norov, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

In 2025, Central Asia entered a new phase of regional evolution characterized by confidence, institution-building, and increasingly sophisticated diplomacy. At the center of this process stands Uzbekistan, whose foreign policy under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has transformed the region from one of the world’s most fragmented neighborhoods into a platform of constructive partnership and strategic connectivity.

This article examines three pillars of the region’s transformation:

1. Uzbekistan’s role in strengthening regional cooperation.

2. The evolution of the C5+ formats and their impact on Central Asia’s global positioning.

3. The rise of economic connectivity as Central Asia’s principal strategic driver.

1. Uzbekistan’s Strategic Contribution to Regional Cooperation in Central Asia: From Dialogue to Cooperation

Just a decade ago, Central Asia lacked stable platforms for dialogue. Today, largely due to Uzbekistan’s openness and its “region-first” policy, predictable mechanisms for political coordination have been established.

The Consultative Meetings of Central Asian Heads of State, held since 2018, have institutionalized political trust and fostered a culture of cooperation. The seventh meeting in Tashkent (2025) marked a historic turning point:

· Azerbaijan joined the platform as a full member, creating a continuous east–west political corridor across the Caspian.

· Leaders launched the Decade of Practical Actions for Rational Water Use (2026–2036) to address one of the region’s most pressing challenges.

· A new Regional Security Concept was adopted, establishing long-term frameworks for cooperation in border management, counterterrorism, migration, and digital security.

These decisions reflect a more mature form of regional politics—a shift from dialogue to structured, long-term cooperation. For global partners, this means access to a more integrated regional market linked to strategic transit, digital, and green corridors. Central Asia, now together with Azerbaijan, is strategically positioning itself as a unified and indispensable node in Eurasia’s future connectivity.

Uzbekistan’s cooperation with Kazakhstan remains the backbone of regional consolidation. The Supreme Interstate Council and the Joint Investment Platform established in 2025 synchronize industrial development, transit policy, and border infrastructure, moving the relationship from reactive diplomacy to strategic co-planning.

The region’s growing unity was vividly demonstrated at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, where all five Central Asian states jointly presented initiatives on digital transformation, water management, and sustainable development—an unprecedented display of diplomatic coordination. Amid global fragmentation, Central Asia is choosing dialogue, pragmatism, and shared responsibility.

2. The Evolution of the C5+ Formats: Central Asia’s New Global Role

The C5+ formats represent one of the most significant innovations in Eurasian diplomacy. Where Central Asia was once perceived as a passive buffer between great powers, it is now regarded as a strategic partner, an economic hub, and a key connector in global transport and energy chains.

C5+1 with the United States: From Symbolism to Strategic Coordination. The summit in Washington in 2025 marked a qualitative leap. The agenda expanded far beyond traditional security to include AI, cybersecurity, green energy, critical minerals, and logistics investments. For the first time, the U.S. recognized Central Asia not as a region defined by great-power rivalry, but as a strategically indispensable partner for global supply chain resilience.

EU–Central Asia: Connectivity, Green Transition, and Strategic Autonomy. At the summit in Samarkand, the EU signaled its most strategic engagement to date. The Global Gateway Strategy envisions investments of up to €12 billion in Trans-Caspian routes, digital corridors, renewable energy, and critical raw materials. The EU’s approach is based on long-term institutional and regulatory cooperation.

C5+China: The Most Institutionalized Partnership. China has built the deepest institutional architecture, including a permanent Secretariat in Xi’an. The outcomes of the 2025 Astana summit—the Treaty on Eternal Good-Neighborliness, agreements worth over $17 billion, and accelerated construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway—underscore that China views the region as a strategic stabilizer and a key link in the Middle Corridor.

C5+GCC: A New Southern Strategic Vector. Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar) are rapidly increasing engagement, creating a new financial and technological pole for the region. Central Asia gains capital diversification and access to modern technologies, while the Gulf gains a gateway to Asian markets.

C5+ with Japan, Korea, and India complement this landscape by focusing on technology, innovation, and human capital, helping the region avoid over-dependence on any single ecosystem.

Collectively, the C5+ platforms demonstrate:

· Central Asia has become a center of partnership, not a passive arena.

· The region serves as a connector between Europe, East and South Asia, and the Gulf.

· The region is gaining agency in global debates on climate, energy transition, and digital standards.

· Global powers now compete not for dominance, but for access to partnership with the region.

3. Economic Connectivity as Central Asia’s Principal Strategic Driver

Economic connectivity has ceased to be merely a technical agenda, transforming instead into a central pillar of integration and a source of geopolitical relevance.

The Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian Route) has become indispensable amid the diversification of global logistics chains. As the only stable, neutral east–west corridor free from sanctions risks, it elevates Central Asia to the core of Eurasia’s trade reconfiguration.

The construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, formally approved in 2024, creates a shorter route, giving Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan shared “ownership” of strategic infrastructure.

The development of north–south and intra-regional corridors—such as the expansion of Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan railway capacity, new border hubs, and an Industrial Cooperation Center at the border—strengthens supply chain resilience.

Energy connectivity is also becoming an anchor of stability: the Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan–China gas pipeline ensures long-term interdependence, while large-scale investments in renewables and hydrogen position the region as a future exporter of green energy.

Conclusion

In 2025, Uzbekistan and its neighbors advanced from fragmented interaction to a coherent regional strategy grounded in political trust, connectivity, and diversified global partnership.

Central Asia is emerging as:

· A geopolitical center of gravity.

· A strategic connector.

· A participant in shaping global supply chains and digital standards.

Today, global powers compete not for dominance over Central Asia, but for partnership with it. If this trajectory continues, Central Asia, and Uzbekistan in particular, will become a sovereign, multi-vector, and influential actor in Eurasia’s future architecture.

Image: Collab Media, adobe.stock