TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 12. The second Ministerial Meeting of the "Central Asia – Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf" (GCC) will be held in Tashkent on April 15, 2024, Trend reports.
According to Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delegations from Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) and GCC member countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) are expected to participate in the meeting.
During the meeting, the participants will review the implementation of the agreements reached within the framework of the First Summit of Central Asia and the GCC. Furthermore, they will discuss the development of cooperation in political, trade and economic, investment, transport and communication, cultural, and humanitarian areas, as well as in the fields of security and environmental protection.
There will also be an exchange of views on preparations for the next Summit in the "Central Asia – Gulf Cooperation Council" format in Samarkand in 2025.
In addition, the participants plan to adopt a joint statement at the end of the event.
Meanwhile, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the first summit of the leaders of the Central Asian countries and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf.
In his speech, he put forward an initiative to create a Joint Investor Council with the participation of business representatives and hold its first meeting in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the urgency of creating a free trade zone with the Gulf countries, and called on partners to take an active part in the strategic project for the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway, which will connect the Gulf states with Central Asia along the shortest route.