The 16th Senior Officials Meeting of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue took place on May 14 in Astana under the chairmanship of Nazira Nurbaeva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The meeting was attended by the heads of the foreign ministries of Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan.
Participants discussed preparations for the upcoming Summit of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue to be held in Astana this summer. The meeting reviewed the Summit agenda and discussed the current status and future prospects for enhancing regional cooperation in the trade, economic, transport and humanitarian fields.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Nurbayeva stated that in recent years the cooperation of Central Asian countries with Japan has reached a new level.
Thus far, key areas of focus for new partnership endeavors have been identified in the realms of environmental sustainability, enhancing connectivity among countries, and developing human resources.
The Central Asia + Japan Dialogue was launched in 2004 at the initiative of Japan. From 2005 to 2022, 15 meetings of the Dialogue have been held at the level of deputy foreign ministers. Kazakhstan chairs the Dialogue in 2024.
Photo: Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry
