Speaking at a recent global conference in Shanghai, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev touted the Central Asian nation as being perfectly positioned to become a “dynamic center” of technological connectivity and digital trade. "Energy reserves, the presence of deposits of various critical minerals, modern transport corridors and rapidly developing digital infrastructure create new opportunities for combining markets, technologies and innovation ecosystems,” Tokayev stated. “The digital transformation is one of the main directions of our national development strategy.” Tokayev asserted that Kazakhstan’s new constitution, which went into effect in July, can act as a catalyst for responsible development of artificial intelligence capabilities.
He also pointed to a host of measures adopted so far this year, including a law on AI and digital development, to speed AI development.A digital platform, dubbed Smart City, is being tested in Astana, and will eventually be rolled out in other Kazakh cities, Tokayev said.
He called for the formation of a permanent expert council to develop standards and ethics for AI development. “Ultimately, the future of AI will be determined by humans,” he said. “That is why competition for talent in this area will intensify.
We must equip the younger generation with digital skills, as well as critical thinking, curiosity and a heightened sense of ethical responsibility.” [Editor’s Note: The New Lines Institute will soon publish a report on AI development in Central Asia].
Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has agreed to establish a new transit corridor that connects Tajikistan and Iran, opening a route to the sea for Central Asian trade.Afghan, Iranian and Tajik officials signed the operational framework agreement in the Iranian city of Mashhad. “The first pilot shipment is expected to pass through the corridor within the next month to evaluate transportation procedures, customs processes and operational coordination,” Iran’s Tasnim News Agency quoted an Iranian transport official, Jafar Shahamat, as saying.
A statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Transport did not provide specifics about the transit corridor, including its origin in Tajikistan and the terminus in Iran.Experts expect the route will terminate at an Iranian seaport, either Bandar Abbas or Chabahar.
Meanwhile, Afghan media outlets acknowledge the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran creates uncertainty for Afghan-Iranian trade.Amu TV cited Afghan merchants as saying the war has disrupted operations at Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports, causing transport costs to spike while stoking inflation in Afghanistan.
Azerbaijani and Turkmen officials met July 14 in Ashgabat to develop procedures for implementing bilateral trade agreements signed the previous month.The two sides explored the feasibility of establishing a permanent bilateral trade commission by the end of the year, according to a report distributed by Azerbaijan’s Trade and Investment Agency.
Officials also discussed details of a Turkmen trade mission to Azerbaijan, and the convening of a trade fair to highlight Turkmen exports, to be held “in the future.” Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with his Turkmen counterpart, Rashid Meredov, on July 14 touting “regular contacts” that provide “powerful impetus to bilateral cooperation,” reported the official Turkmenistan Altyn Asyr news outlet. “The parties reviewed in detail the progress of joint projects in trade and economic, transport and logistics, energy, and industrial sectors,” the report added.
The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy has developed an initiative called the Silk Seven-Plus (S7+), a blueprint to enable states in Greater Central Asia to realize their economic growth ambitions.
It is a multi-phase connectivity plan to strengthen the sovereignty of regional states.The S7+ envisions the establishment of a trade crescent connecting the Caspian Basin to the Arabian Sea, unlocking Greater Central Asia’s full trade potential.
The items included in this roundup are relevant to the development of the S7+ concept.