Regional co‐operation policies in Central Asia

Abstract

This paper discusses the need for a set of policies encouraging economic co-operation within the former Soviet Union states of Central Asia. Central Asia is the focus of this report; however, the argument emphasizing the need for international assistance to support regional cooperation is valid for the countries of the Caucuses and in some of Eastern Europe, especially the Balkan states. Regional co-operation is seen as a means to mitigate the difficulties of managing a transition from Soviet-command economies to market-based institutions given especially the extreme distances to industrialized marketplaces. Co-operation will not be a natural consequence of existing tendencies that encourage a lack of trust and inward looking national policies. Policy commitments are needed to develop transport, trade and transit within and to the region from foreign markets. The international community must encourage economic cooperation that reduces cross-border political insecurity and provides scope for sustainable economic growth. These efforts may require subsuming bilateral relations under coordinated regional programmes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Why should trade between Central Asia and China continue to expand?

“…Chinese traders are thus often victims of cumbersome controls, in particular at the border (Green 2001).…”

“…2 Source: Direction of Trade statistics of the IMF 2 These figures include estimates of informal trade, which are difficult to obtain. According toGreen (2001), who quoted an Asian Development Bank study, shuttle trade between Kazakhstan and China reached 0.5 billion USD, which is equivalent to formal trade. Share of informal trade has probably decreased since 2000 because informal trade has become less profitable and formal trade has boomed.…”

Ecofeminism Topics: Water Scarcity in Remote District of Uzbekistan (Case Study)

“…Environmental issues related to water scarcity in certain areas of Uzbekistan are associated with land irrigation and river flow redistribution (Green, 2001). It was mentioned above in the "political part" (Talipov, 1992).…”

Bölge ve Bölgesel Entegrasyon Bağlamında Orta Asya Devletleri’nin Birliği için Bir Model Önerisi

“…Thus, these three states established the Central Asian Union (CAU) to ensure the free movement of goods, capital, services and labor (Bohr, 2004: 486). Although these three states established the Central Asian Cooperation and Development Bank to achieve a more functional financial order, Uzbekistan has made its own way as she was not as eager as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and thus this initiative remained dysfunctional (Gren, 2001(Gren, : 1156.…”