The event brought together representatives of the academic community, research institutes and analytical centers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan.

The discussion focused on trade and economic cooperation, the development of transport and transit connectivity, investment cooperation, climate challenges, regional security and strengthening expert support for interstate dialogue.

Opening the forum, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki presented Kabul's vision for future regional cooperation. According to him, the modern international order is going through a "sensitive historical stage" when, along with contradictions and competing approaches, the desire of states for collective cooperation and multilateral interaction is increasing. Against this background, Afghanistan's relations with the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, as the Foreign Minister noted, "have strengthened and expanded more than ever before" thanks to a pragmatic approach based on the search for opportunities and mutual benefit.

"Today we are gathered here not just as representatives of our countries, but as thinkers and intellectual managers of a single geographical space," Muttaki said.

According to him, Afghanistan considers Central Asia as a key partner and is interested in further expanding cooperation in all areas.

"It is necessary to develop a practical and comprehensive roadmap for our future partnership in various fields," the minister stressed.

The speech clearly reflected Kabul's openness to closer cooperation with the countries of the region and its willingness to act as a responsible participant in regional processes. Muttaki noted that the successful holding of the first Afghanistan-Central Asia Consultative Dialogue has created an important political basis for further rapprochement, but the next step may be the formation of stable expert mechanisms capable of translating political agreements into practical projects and solutions.

A special place in the speech was occupied by the topic of economic interconnectedness. The head of Afghan diplomacy called Afghanistan "a natural connecting bridge between Central and South Asia" and confirmed Kabul's interest in promoting the CASA-1000 projects, the TAPI gas pipeline, the TAP project, the Lapis Lazuli Corridor and the Trans-Afghan Railway. It was emphasized that research centers can play an important role in revealing the economic benefits of these initiatives and strengthening mutual trust between the countries of the region.

The minister paid special attention to common challenges. He noted that climate change, lack of water resources, environmental pollution, as well as the consequences of conflicts have an impact on the economy, transport links, food and energy security.

"These threats do not recognize political boundaries," Muttaki stressed, advocating for collective solutions based on scientific analysis and expert assessments.

An important part of the speech was the idea of forming its own regional agenda. According to the Afghan Foreign Minister, the countries of the region have sufficient intellectual, economic and political potential to independently determine their development priorities.

"Opportunities, challenges and our common future need their own internal vision," he said, pointing to the ability of researchers from Afghanistan, Central Asia and Azerbaijan to independently form expert assessments of regional processes and propose solutions that meet the interests of the states of the region.

"Today, more than ever, it is important that the researchers of our region themselves talk about its realities, opportunities and challenges," the minister said, advocating for increased knowledge exchange, joint research and constant expert dialogue.

Muttaki is confident that analytical structures can become an important tool for regional diplomacy.

"Research centers are not only academic institutions, they can act as intellectual partners and a driving force for regional diplomacy," he said. In this regard, a proposal was made to create a stable network of cooperation between the research institutes of the region, the development of joint research programs and the regular exchange of expert assessments.

Summing up, the head of Afghan diplomacy stressed that Afghanistan connects the future of the region with strengthening cooperation, mutual trust and regional interconnectedness.

"A stable, prosperous and secure future for all countries in the region can be achieved only through cooperation, mutual trust, regional interconnectedness and understanding of collective interests," the minister said. He also emphasized that "researchers and thinkers of Afghanistan extend the hand of scientific partnership to researchers from other countries," confirming Kabul's readiness for long-term and mutually beneficial relations with the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan.

Earlier, Tashkent hosted the international Termez Dialogue on Interconnectedness between Central and South Asia, which also brought together representatives of the expert community, analytical centers and government agencies of the countries of the region. Within the framework of the event, a separate meeting of experts from Central Asia and Afghanistan was held, during which prospects for expanding regional cooperation, developing transport and transit connectivity, security issues and economic partnership were discussed. Among other topics, the participants discussed the formation of a substantive agenda for the upcoming Forum of Analytical Centers in Kabul, which was seen as an important step towards institutionalizing expert dialogue between Afghanistan, Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan.