The Rise of Central Asia in International Politics
On March 30, the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) organized an online roundtable discussion entitled “The Rise of Central Asia in International Politics”. The topic of the discussion was given by the 8th Summit of the Turkic Council on March 31 and the official visit made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Uzbekistan on March 30. The event primarily sought to explore the opportunities for the Hungarian economy and foreign policy to cooperate with the Central Asian region. Our three invited experts were Anton Bendarjevskiy, head of the Geopolitical Research Group of the Danube Institute, Pál Gyene, associate professor at the Budapest Business School and László Vasa, the chief advisor and the senior research fellow at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The moderator of the event was Viktor Eszterhai, senior research fellow at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The discussion was live broadcasted on Zoom and is to be posted at IFAT’s Facebook page.
The first topic of the roundtable discussion focused on the most important current development trends in Central Asia. The invited speakers highlighted that the reforms in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and these countries opening are the most important changes in the region. The audience also asked the invited experts about the effects of some current issues on the region. Included the foreign ministerial summit of the Heart of Asia initiative in March 2021 and the impact of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war on the region’s security architecture.
The second issue focused on external actors who have traditionally played a key role in the life of the region. The experts underlined that the two most important players are still Russia and China. The latter primarily continuing to increase its influence through the building of economic relations. The coronavirus crisis has also improved China’s position due to being a dominant player in the medical devices and vaccines market in Central Asia. In addition to the two most important actors; Turkey, the US and the European Union are also significant external actors. Turkey has become increasingly active, in part through the Turkic Council, while the role of the US and the EU has clearly declined in recent years. Audience questions related to the possible new external actors, like India and Pakistan. The invited experts underlined that in the short term none of these two actors can build meaningful influence in Central Asia.
The final theme of the event sought to answer the question of whether, in addition to the great powers, smaller states have the opportunity to establish effective cooperation with Central Asia. The experts pointed out that Hungary’s economic relations with the Central Asian region are growing dynamically, but they still lag behind many European states. It is especially pressuring compared to economies similar to the size and level of development of the Hungarian economy. All this suggests that Hungary needs to seize the opportunity and improve its position, for which improving political relations can also provide important support. The audience’s questions focused primarily on the areas in which Hungary can achieve effective cooperation. Expert responses highlighted agriculture and agricultural research, water management and water treatment and financial cooperation, etc. The experts also emphasized that the economic development of Central Asia is favourable for the export opportunities of the Hungarian economy.
The event, which attracted a large audience, ended with the conclusion that the importance of the region is becoming more and more important, so Hungary cannot afford to miss the opportunity. The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade will therefore continue to focus on Central Asia and will continue to host events related to the region.
Bilateral relations have also been reported on Uzbek TV here!
Analyzes of our researchers on the topic (in Hungarian):
- László, Vasa – A Türk Tanács közép-ázsiai és kaukázusi országai a magyar külgazdaság perspektívájából
- Pál, Gyene– Savkat Mirzijojev elnök reformpolitikája Üzbegisztánban
- KKI 4:1 – Mire használható Magyarország megfigyelői státusza a Türk Tanácsban?
The full recording can be accessed at the link below or on our YouTube-channel!