In the lead-up to a large-scale international forum designed to reformat the architecture of transregional cooperation, the expert community has focused on the fundamental meanings of continental integration. The second session of the Termez Dialogue on the interconnectedness of Central and South Asia, scheduled for June 4-6, is a logical continuation of the long-term diplomatic strategy aimed at creating a common space of trust and security. In this context, an interview given to Dunyo News Agency by Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and leading regional expert, takes on particular analytical significance.

ORIENT has prepared an editorial review and analysis of the key points of this landmark speech, which reveals the profound philosophy of integration processes in the Eurasian space. The relevance of the issues raised by the Uzbek analyst stems from the need to overcome outdated geopolitical stereotypes and build a fundamentally new, inclusive model of interstate dialogue, where economic projects, environmental security, and cultural and historical memory form an inseparable creative synthesis.

The Economic Framework and Peacekeeping Potential of Cross-Border Infrastructure

Transregional connectivity is traditionally associated with tangible material factors, including transport corridors, logistics hubs, energy, and cross-border trade, which form the fundamental foundation for national well-being. Economic interaction creates real, binding interests and mutual benefits between countries, but in the conceptual doctrine of modern Uzbekistan, the economy is not an isolated end in itself.

As Akramjon Nematov notes, large infrastructure projects are designed to address a global geopolitical challenge: fostering long-term mutual dependence between states, making any conflict inherently disadvantageous for all participants. Moreover, sustainable economic growth helps address the root causes of modern destructive challenges, such as poverty, unemployment, and marginalization, which traditionally serve as the main fuel for radicalism and extremism.

A classic example of the practical implementation of this strategy is the Trans-Afghan Railway Corridor project, running from Termez through Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul to Kharlachi. For the Central Asian states, this route provides the shortest geographic access to Indian Ocean ports, reducing transportation costs by a third, while for Pakistan and all of South Asia, it provides direct and unimpeded access to the region's resources and markets.

The primary value of the Trans-Afghan Railway, as well as other large-scale cross-border initiatives such as the CASA-1000 energy bridge or the TAPI gas pipeline, lies in their powerful peacebuilding function. Transforming from commercial engineering plans into instruments of preventive diplomacy, these projects create powerful economic incentives for peace, consistently integrating Afghanistan into the creative processes of regional development.

Transboundary Ecology as a Driver of Joint Solutions to the Climate Crisis

The nature and shared ecosystem of Central and South Asia vividly demonstrate the existential connection between the regions and the vital need to develop collective responses to climate challenges. The colossal pressure the macro-region is experiencing due to climate change directly links water, food, and energy security.

The rapid melting of the Pamir and Tien Shan glaciers is inevitably impacting the water supply and agricultural sectors of hundreds of millions of people in both Central and South Asia. Droughts and extreme weather events transcend political boundaries, so effective adaptation measures cannot be limited to individual nation-states but must be strictly transboundary and coordinated.

The inclusion of the environmental agenda in the Termez Dialogue reflects the desire of countries in the region to transform potential sources of tension into a solid foundation for long-term cooperation. Awareness of common environmental threats is becoming a powerful incentive for joint work, in which Afghan partners are also actively involved.

Delegations from Afghanistan are regular participants in the Central Asian water dialogue, attending the Tashkent Water Week and specialized conferences on water diplomacy. The ongoing joint search for equitable solutions in the area of joint water resource management demonstrates that, with the right expert and political approach, transboundary environmental challenges can firmly unite states around a constructive agenda rather than divide them.

Civilizational Code and Overcoming Stereotypes of the Great Game

The cultural and humanitarian dimension of integration within the philosophy of the Termez Dialogue occupies a fundamental and defining place, serving as the soul and heart of transregional rapprochement. Physical infrastructure and supply chains form only the material skeleton, while shared historical memory creates a genuine space of trust. The peoples of Central and South Asia have developed for centuries at the common crossroads of global faiths and civilizations.

Ancient Termez served for millennia as a gateway to this continuous exchange, where the traditions of Bactria, Sogdiana, the Kushan Empire, the Turkic Khaganates, the Ghaznavids, Timurids, and Baburids intertwined. The architectural masterpieces of Samarkand and Bukhara found their direct architectural reflection in the ensembles of Delhi and Lahore, and at the crossroads of languages, a unique cultural layer, embedded in the genetic code of these peoples, crystallized over the centuries.

According to Akramjon Nematov, the main tragedy of the last century and a half is that this great historical memory was systematically and deliberately erased from public consciousness. The destructive colonial stereotype of the "Great Game" was artificially imposed on the regions, instilling a false myth about the inevitability of eternal fragmentation, geopolitical rivalry between external powers, and permanent conflicts.

The consequence of this pernicious legacy is that Afghanistan is still often perceived solely through the prism of threat projection, and South Asia as an alien and dangerous space. Restoring historical truth to active public consciousness, dismantling externally imposed stereotypes, and reviving shared civilizational greatness is the key historical responsibility of Asia's contemporary political and expert elites.

When intellectuals and leaders in Tashkent, Delhi, Islamabad, and Kabul begin to clearly see each other as heirs to a common cultural code, a fundamentally different level of mental trust will emerge. A sense of belonging to a great shared past and an awareness of the indivisibility of historical destiny will become the most reliable internal shield against any attempts by external players to destabilize the regional situation and exploit artificial contradictions.

In such a coordinate system, economic and trade flows begin to function naturally and smoothly, as they become a logical continuation of mutual civilizational attraction. This is the profound essence of the Termez Dialogue, which returns the peoples of Asia to their own history, reminding them of the value of peace and stability in this sacred land.

Inclusiveness of the Expert Platform and International Legal Recognition

The conceptual depth of the Termez Dialogue is reflected in its highly inclusive agenda and broad participation, extending the forum far beyond its narrow regional format. This multilateral platform is the practical embodiment of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's global initiative, which received unanimous international support and was formally enshrined in a special resolution of the UN General Assembly in 2022. This step laid a solid international legal foundation for transregional rapprochement, recognizing it as a key factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and evidence of preventive peacebuilding.

The extensive program of the upcoming three-day forum combines theoretical discussions with practical off-site events. A key component of the work will be specialized expert meetings at the think tank level in Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as a trilateral dialogue between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan, designed to harness the powerful intellectual potential of the regions to advance a constructive agenda.

Co-organizers and partners of the dialogue include such authoritative institutions as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the SCO, the CIS, and the ECO, as well as leading European and American academic circles and political foundations, including the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Berghof Foundation, PeaceNexus, Search for Common Ground, and Georgetown University. The full participation of such representative delegations and the participants' detailed introduction to the modern logistics infrastructure of the Ayritom International Trade Centre, the Termez Cargo Center, and the heritage of Samarkand clearly demonstrate that Uzbekistan offers the global community a deeply conscious philosophy of integration capable of ensuring long-term stability throughout Eurasia.