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BACK TO THE ROOTS. STRENGTHENING HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS AND TRUST BETWEEN THE STATES OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA

The article is concerned with the international conference “Central and South Asia: the regional interconnection. The challenges and prospects” which was held in Tashkent (Republic of Uzbekistan) on June 15–16, 2021. The author puts the conference in a broad political and geopolitical context, considering the efforts of the Uzbekistan Government to enhance cooperation both with its neighbours in Central Asian and South Asian states, most particularly India and Afghanistan, as well as with extraregional players, such as the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, and the United States of America.As the priority tasks of such cooperation, the author names the creation of an effective national security system for the Central Asian and South Asian states, modernization of national economies in the region, creation of a new transregional transport and logistics system, development of a well-balanced energy policy, and more effective use of recreational resources within both regions. The author considers “Afghan issue” one of the key ones to be in the focus of the interacting regions, as it has become more relevant due to the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and establishment in the country of governing by the “Taliban” radical Islamist movement.