On October 8, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, participated in and delivered a speech at the meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, held in the Avaza area of Turkmenistan.

At the beginning of his speech, President Emomali Rahmon expressed his gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan, His Excellency Serdar Berdimuhamedov, for the hospitality and excellent organization of the meeting. He also congratulated friendly Turkmenistan on its successful chairmanship of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan.

In his address, President Emomali Rahmon focused on the significant potential of Central Asia and Azerbaijan for closer economic, transport, energy, and industrial cooperation, emphasizing that the region possesses substantial resources and opportunities for this purpose.

As noted, these resources create broad opportunities for establishing joint ventures, developing industrial complexes, and expanding the processing of products.

The importance of more actively introducing digital and “green” technologies, promoting innovation, and using artificial intelligence in industry was stressed.

It was noted that particular attention should be paid to expanding cooperation in the services sector, activating joint production and export projects, strengthening the resilience of regional supply chains, and exchanging experience in adapting products to the environmental, carbon, and technical requirements of foreign markets.

Given the need to expand energy cooperation and its importance for ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production and strengthening food security, President Emomali Rahmon proposed considering the preparation of a list of priority energy projects and identifying possible mechanisms for their joint financing.

In this regard, the importance of developing and implementing a major oil refinery project based on the latest technologies, taking into account the needs of the entire region, was emphasized.

The President of Tajikistan also proposed developing a regional “green” transition strategy, taking into account the development of renewable energy sources and improvements in energy efficiency.

It was emphasized that the further development of multimodal transport routes connecting the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan with other regions of the world is of great importance for strengthening regional transport connectivity. In this regard, the President stressed the need for effective efforts to remove administrative, infrastructural, and organizational barriers, simplify transport procedures, and accelerate digitalization.

Continuing on the topic of digitalization, President Emomali Rahmon highlighted the importance of establishing a Regional Artificial Intelligence Center in Dushanbe. He expressed confidence that its activities would bring together the innovative potential of the countries of the region and accelerate the application of artificial intelligence technologies in various sectors of the economy and social life.

The President proposed strengthening cooperation in addressing climate change, glacier melting, declining water resources, and dust storms, which directly affect the environment and food security of the countries of the region.

President Emomali Rahmon also placed particular emphasis on strengthening cooperation in the fields of security, education, culture, tourism, sports, and youth policy.

Concluding his speech, President Emomali Rahmon emphasized that Tajikistan stands ready to support the constructive initiatives of the countries of the region and contribute to the practical implementation of the agreements reached.

President Emomali Rahmon expressed confidence that mutual trust and a spirit of partnership would enable the countries of the region to move steadily toward their common goals.