Cross-BorderIssuesandCooperationinCentralAsiabyDr.SergeiYazvenko&Dr.DinaraMuzafarova

Introduction

Central Asia − including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan − is strategically positioned at the center of Eurasia between major global economies: China, Russia and India. The legacy of shared infrastructure and centrally planned resource management since the Soviet Union resulted in immediate cross-border dependencies and, oftentimes, interstate rivalries, especially regarding water and energy. However, recent years have seen a pragmatic and powerful resurgence of regional cooperation turning intractable disputes into opportunities for a synergistic long-term development.

This paper focuses on providing a detailed overview for public audiences, academics, business leaders and international investors as to why Central Asia has become a relevant destination for investment capital. The regional imperatives behind this developing trend are very clear to help achieve collective economic goals, increase cooperation as a critical Eurasian trade corridor and proactively build resilience against the increasing threat of climate change. Only through concerted, cross-border approaches − commonly articulated in the multi-sectoral Nexus approach − will these risks be mitigated and the major collective economic benefits achieved.

The central thesis advanced here is that pressing cross-border challenges in the environmental, water, and economic domains represent powerful drivers of future return on investment. Targeted funding in these areas from modernization of trans Eurasian rail links to innovative desert restoration technologies − both supports sustainable development goals and is directly linked to sustainable regional development and security of investment.