Valdai Club

New international legal foundations are being laid for the meridional and latitudinal integration of South and Central Asia, and ultimately for the strengthening of ties in the new macro-region of Central Eurasia, writes Guzel Majtdinova.

Russia’s economic cooperation with Central Asian countries is gaining momentum despite expectations of a decline or even a complete rupture in trade and economic relations under the influence of anti-Russian sanctions. At the same time, the sanctions pressure has opened up new opportunities for the establishment of additional sources of economic growth for partner countries, Aza Migranyan writes.

The "Donald Trump revolution", which is primarily focused on solving internal US issues, has already become a noticeable new factor in world politics. The emerging reduction in the level of confrontation in Russian-American relations, as well as the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, will have a positive impact on the politics and economy of all of Eurasia.

The Central Asian countries, despite their differing tactics and nuances, remain steadfast partners and allies of Russia. On May 9, 2025, the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will once again stand on the podium of Red Square, alongside Russian military personnel and soldiers from Central Asian armies. This enduring partnership deserves not only respect and recognition but also a shared commitment to development and prosperity, Kubatbek Rakhimov writes.

The security system in Europe will obviously transform, especially under pressure from the United States. Eurasia will remain on its path, where the main priority will be a balance between integration and preserving national sovereignty.

Modern processes in the global geopolitical and geoeconomic space indicate that multipolarity is becoming a reality and, in this context, the entire system of international relations is being transformed, Rustam Khaidarzoda writes.

The search for a new security and development architecture in Eurasia that promotes multipolarity and challenges the hegemony of the US-led global order has been a consistent theme in the Russian leadership’s quest to mould Eurasian security and development models. The world is going through interesting times; US exceptionalism is being challenged by multiple poles, including the EU, Russia, and China. China no longer remains a political and ideological powerhouse, but rather has morphed into a technological and military superpower. US attempts to maintain global dominance like a status quo power are evoking responses from rival global powers like China, which is rapidly overtaking the United States as the dominant economic, technological as well as military power, Raashid Wali Janjua writes. The article was prepared specially for the 5th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

One of the central conceptual innovations of Russian foreign policy has been the emergence and development of the Eurasian security architecture idea. The idea itself was formulated by President Vladimir Putin in his address to the Federal Assembly in February 2024; he expanded upon it in other speeches, and it has been included in the agenda of a number of Russian foreign policy initiatives in bilateral and multilateral levels, Ivan Timofeev writes.

India’s foreign policy is significantly shaped by the concepts of sovereignty and strategic autonomy, which enables it to make independent decisions, especially in foreign relations, which are free from external influences, RPS Bhadauria writes. The article was prepared specially for the 5th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Never before have relations between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan been so close and friendly, Ulugbek Khasanov writes. The article was prepared specially for the 5th Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.