Enhancing Connectivity of the Countries of Central and South Asia

Mukhit   Assanbayev

doi:10.52536/2788-5909.2023-4.03

Authors

Mukhit Assanbayev KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1130-0845

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52536/2788-5909.2023-4.03

Keywords:

regional connectivity, energy and transit-transport cooperation, infrastructure projects, Central Asia, South Asia, Afghanistan

Abstract

The article examines the prospects for the development of regional connectivity of the countries of Central and South Asia and analyzes the initiatives and projects being implemented between them in the areas of energy and transit-transport cooperation. Particular attention in the work is paid to understanding the directions in which connectivity of the countries of Central and South Asia will develop in the foreseeable future.
The idea of developing regional connectivity is not something new for the two regions. The states and peoples of Central and South Asia historically had extensive trade relations, being an important link in the Silk Road that connected the East with the West. In the Middle Ages, one of the routes of pilgrims from Central Asia to the Hijaz ran through Afghanistan and South Asia, and there were active migration flows and cultural exchange between the peoples of the two regions.
Today, the main condition to reconnect Central and South Asia is the establishment of long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan. The situation in Afghanistan, which remains a bridge between these two regions, directly affects the security of neighboring countries and can change the course of global politics in this part of Asia towards positive dynamics.

Author Biography

Mukhit Assanbayev, KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan

PhD in Political Science, Chief Expert of the International Security Department of KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)

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