DUSHANBE, Tajikistan

On 14 September 2023, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Asia Kaha Imnadze participated in the 5^th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, held in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.

At the meeting, hosted by the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, the leaders of Central Asian states as well as Azerbaijan, as an honorary guest, discussed current issues of strengthening interaction between Central Asian states in jointly responding to challenges and threats to regional security, as well as the prospects for expanding regional cooperation in the economic, trade, energy security, transport, healthcare, as well as in the field of youth policy. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made a video address to the Summit.

The 5^th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State adopted a Joint Statement, outlining the main priorities of the regional cooperation, indicating challenges and suggesting ways of addressing them. Apart from that the Heads of State adopted agreements in the field of land transport and common directions of youth policy in Central Asia.