CC BY
0INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL ASIA: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS FOR UNITY
Saidov Sh.Sh.
University of World Economy and Diplomacy, The 2nd year student of "International Relations"
faculty
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13119056
Abstract. In the given article the aspirations of the strategically important Central Asian countries, which emerged in the new world order as a region of international importance, for integration and unity, as well as the actions of the young countries located in this region for the common system, and the problems that arose throughout the process and their causes are discussed. Furthermore, the controversial solutions proposed for partnership in this area are taken into account. A number of prospects have been mentioned for increasing the speed of cooperation in Central Asia.
Keywords: integration, economic stability, unity, ethnic tensions, delimitation, demarcation, nationalism, transboundary rivers, regulation, entrepreneurship.
Background: Central Asia is a strategic region that comprises Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Historically, Central Asia was regarded as the primary branch of the Great Silk Road, with a significant role in the interchange of goods and ideas between Europe and the Far East. All Central Asian countries continue to be significant contributors to the global economy. That is why, after Central Asian countries got independence from the Soviet Union, international countries focused on these countries in the region.
By the last decade of the nineteenth century, global trends had shifted dramatically. The fall of the Soviet Union was the most significant of these transformations, resulting in the emergence of numerous new, autonomous, and young countries in the region. Political freedom in Central Asia provided a great opportunity for regional integration. Despite this, progress has been delayed by differing political systems, economic disparities, and security issues. The problems of regional integration efforts aimed at strengthening the economic development of Central Asia have begun to become overcome.
Before getting into the subject at hand, it is necessary to address the current point of argument: "Why should Central Asia organize integration?". There are numerous and obvious explanations for this question.
Geopolitical Security
Central Asian countries are geopolitically surrounded by great powers like Russia and China. The Central Asian countries' cooperation has the potential to play a significant role in the current risky circumstances. For example, by avoiding regional terrorism and improving border security, the region can be transformed into a risk-free zone.
Economic Stability
The region's unique mineral wealth and vast natural resources, particularly oil, gas, and minerals, provide significant prospects for economic development. Economic links can be enhanced by fostering cooperative economic integration and trade within the region. For example, joint energy projects and cross-border transport connections between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan can improve trade volume and ensure the nations' economies remain stable.
The similarity among culture, religion and language
Previously said, the Central Asian countries are consisted of people who are culturally, religiously, and linguistically bonded together. The collaborative effort of peoples in the region serves as an impulse to improve the feeling of hospitality and mutual trust in the surrounding region.
But there are a number of problems that limit integration in the region. The unification of the Central Asian countries has been considered as the main task for more than 30 years. A number of internal and external factors prevent the full implementation of this process. Territorial, economic, cross-border, and ethnic problems in the Central Asian countries have deep roots and go back to the past of the Soviet-era management system. These problems continue to have a serious negative impact on the development stages of the region even today. As a result of the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, the coming to power of new leaders such as Islam Karimov and Nursultan Nazarbaev in the independent countries of the Central Asian region accelerated the integration efforts in the post-Soviet region. A number of positive proposals were made for the economic development of the region. In 1994, on the initiative of the leaders of 3 countries of Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian Union was formed due to the feeling of despair from the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and the desire for full independence from the Sovet union. A joint statement was signed between them. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, the other 2 countries in Central Asia, initially expressed that they did not want to join these organizations (there was a civil war in Tajikistan at that time. 19921997). After the organization was established during the first 5 years, this organization gave a number of solutions and recommendations for the integration of the region. This Union has set itself the task of ensuring the free movement of goods, services, capital and citizens. The mission of the Union was to increase security, economic growth, political stability and prosperity in the region. During the first 5 years after the establishment of the organization, it provided a number of solutions and recommendations for the integration of the region. The mission of the Union was to increase security, economic growth, political stability and prosperity in the region. But the activity of this young organization did not last long. By 2004, the Central Asian Union disintegrated. After that, in 2005, this organization became the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which was integrated into the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC). As a result, the organization became very weak and its activities were completely stopped. Major changes in the organization had a negative impact on integration, and after that, each country of Central Asia followed its own political views and ideology. The Central Asian Union did not work for many main reasons: political competition between the leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the main competitors for leadership in the region, internal influence in each country, i.e. the integration of the political elite and the fact that he did not act for unity and did not want it, at the same time, the main actions of the organization were to ensure the interests of the large and developed countries of Central Asia, and the conditions of the rest of the small countries in the region were not taken into account. However, in 2007- 2010, they proposed to restore this organization, which was part of the Euro-Asian Economic Community, but remained inactive. However, the president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov noted that it is extremely difficult to establish the Central Asian Union, taking into account the lack of consensus among the country's presidents, the difference in economic and social development of the countries.
Generally speaking, there are several main and actual factors that are still an obstacle to the integration in Central Asia today:
I. Political Competition and Political Differences
One of the main factors hindering integration in the Central Asian region is the political competition between the leaders of the region and the difference between their strategic views. A vivid example of this is the political relations between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Political leaders have always used different approaches in carrying out regional integration and even defining the policy of their country. The fact that Nursultan Nazarboev supported organizations such as the European Economic Union and did not want to join this alliance of other groups in the region shows that there are great political differences in the region. In addition, a relatively small country in Central Asian region such as isolation policy of Turkmenistan and many political and governmental revolutions that happened in made this integration process even more difficult and struggling.
II. Border and Ethnic tensions
One of the main obstacles to integration in the Central Asian region is the border problems. The borders between the four countries have not been fully defined yet. The long-distance borders between the countries are still considered controversial and will be an obstacle for the union in the region and will cause territorial and ethnic tensions that arise from time to time. It is known that during the Soviet Union, the borders of the states in the Central Asian region were artificially divided. After gaining independence, the Central Asian republics immediately faced the problem of clearly defining these borders, which were artificially divided during the Soviet Union. During the years of independence, this caused many territorial disputes between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The subsequent interstate and social tensions threatened the security and stability of the entire Central Asian region. For example, the delimitation index of the common state borders of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan is very low, that is, only 87% of the borders of the two countries are defined. Overall, 13 percent of border disputes are still unresolved. Recently, there have been frequent armed conflicts on the border of the two countries, and this process is also becoming political. One of the main problems in the delimitation and demarcation of borders in Central Asia is the lack of an orderly legal framework approved by all countries of the region. Although there is a common understanding of this, problems in the use of water and other resources complicate common decision-making.
III. Water resources
The changes in the hydrological system of rivers in Central Asia, the lack of an agreed procedure for the balanced use of water, and the increase in competition for natural water resources - showed the difficulties of the countries of the region in making common strategic decisions. In 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, after the distribution of natural resources and its management changed in the Central Asian region, the competition for water increased tremendously and added tension to the political region. The huge demand and shortage of water, which is mainly the reason for the increase of nationalism among the local residents of the region. It is known that most of the rivers located in the Central Asian region are transboundary rivers that cross the borders of two countries. The lack of agreement on these large rivers and the lack of regulation between the countries in the region complicate the integration process. That's why, when talking about the region, political scientists use the term "Water Diplomacy". The Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers, which have been one of the controversial issues in the region for several years,
flow through many countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Because of this, disputes over water distribution arise, especially with the upstream countries Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan controlling the head of water, and the downstream countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) relying on the water for irrigation. In order to create integration in the region, it is first necessary to clearly define the distribution of water. In addition, the leaders of the Central Asian countries did not agree on the construction of water facilities in the region, so it was difficult to combine all of them into one project plan. For example, the construction plan of the Rogun Reservoir, which occupies a large part of the Amudarya waters in the upper part of the Amudarya and is to be built in Tajikistan, has caused great objection in the region. Bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan remained complicated due to the lack of cooperation in the field of transboundary river management. During the period of I. Karimov, Uzbekistan strongly opposed the construction of the Rogun reservoir. The country announced that the construction of this hydroelectric power station would reduce the water in the rivers, and also warned of the danger of an ecological disaster if the dam of the hydroelectric power plant was destroyed.
IV. Lack of collective identity and mistrust among states
As mentioned above, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the main task of the states in the Central Asian region is to avoid the influence of the Soviet Union and to preserve the newly gained independence and to strengthen it. For this purpose, all the countries in the region went their own way, and the collective unity, that is, the identity of the countries, disappeared. Central Asian countries still have different views about their regional identity in terms of cultural, political and economic factors. However, integration was a union of countries with the same governance, that is, in order for countries to organize integration, their internal governance and policies must be almost the same and similar, a state in the autocracy system will never organize integration with a country with a democratic system of government. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the foreign policies of the Central Asian countries differed from each other, for example, the main foreign political vectors of Kazakhstan, which has a large territory in the region, were directed towards European and Western organizations, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, unlike Kazakhstan, paying more attention to the different political strategy will complicate the process of integration in the region and cause it to be delayed.
V. Influence of external players
There are numerous external factors that affect the integration of Central Asia. The region can be called a "hotbed of multilateral competition" where the interests of a number of power centers - Russia, China, the USA, the European Union, Iran and Turkey - collide. For example, countries such as Russia, which in the recent past was in a single socialist block with Central Asian countries, and China, which is striving for global leadership, do not want the unification of the countries of the region. They are interested in not losing the markets here and further expanding their political influence. The state of Turkey, which is trying to form a union of Turkic states, wants to participate in the integration process and for a new union to be established around Ankara. Central Asia is considered a unique crossroads, its territory is a bridge that allows access to Russia, China, Iran and the Middle East, Pakistan and India. Among the external power centers, the United States and the European Union are interested in integration in Central Asia, as they believe that this situation will reduce the growing influence of Russia and China in the region. As a clear proof of this, we can cite these sentences from Samuel Huntington's book "The Clash of Civilizations
and the New World Order": The long-term strategy of America and the European Union for Central Asia is that America does not want belonging to a specific civilization or power center in this region. This region should remain a permanent center of competition for America and Europe.
VI. Problem of Afganistan
Afghanistan's situation is viewed as one that must be addressed as part of Central Asian integration. This situation has a negative impact on the region's politics, economy, and security. Afghanistan's extremism and terrorist concerns are prompting Central Asian countries to collaborate, although this process is fraught with complications. At the moment, many Central Asian countries do not consider Afghanistan to be part of this region. Nevertheless, Uzbekistan considers Afghanistan to be a part of Central Asia and is passionate about promoting peace and improving the situation there. In order to improve the situation in Afghanistan and create integration in Central Asia, all countries located in Central Asia should develop a single strategy for Afghanistan. As a result, this strategy will unite the foreign policy of the country in the fight against counter-terrorism and drug business.
Central Asian Integration: Results and Prospects
According to the research of many political scientists, the integration of Central Asia can be divided into two major periods: the 1st period after independence and the new period that began in 2017. In general, a new page has been opened for the integration of the region since 2017. With the initiative of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who came to government in Uzbekistan in 2016, the integration efforts in the region have significantly accelerated and revived. Economic, political and cultural relations between the countries of Central Asia have improved. Uzbekistan was one of the first in the region to accept the proposal to ease the visa regime and significantly contributed to the process of regional integration in Central Asia. These reforms contributed to the relations with other neighbors in the region and to the general prosperity. Uzbekistan is one of the countries of Central Asia which established new and multilateral relations with neighboring countries and became a strategic partner country. In the same year, the official visits of the President of Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, the high-level meeting with Tajikistan in March 2018 and, in addition, the international conference in 2017 UN-sponsored Samarkand "Central Asia: a single history and common future, sustainable development and development cooperation" and 500 foreign participants took part in it is a clear proof of this. In 2017, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met for the first time with the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon. Agreements were reached in many areas during the meeting. In April 2017, after a 25-year break, air lines between Dushanbe and Tashkent were restored. Relations between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also reached a new stage. At the end of the 2017 visits, the presidents signed a strategic partnership agreement between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. A number of documents were signed between the two countries on the development of cooperation in economy, agriculture, railway transport, and cultural spheres. These agreements signed between Central Asian countries make a great contribution to regional integration.
To sum up, the formation of collective regional identity was considered an important factor of Central Asian regionalism. By improving regional and cultural unity, developing interregional entrepreneurship and economic activity, Central Asian countries can strengthen their sense of common identity. These efforts will foster trust, unity and cooperation, leading to increased cooperation and potential integration among the five countries in the region. In general, for any
kind of integration, territorial commonality, binding and uniform equal laws and a system that
enforces and controls the execution of these rules are necessary.
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