Tashkent Hosts 8th Central Asian Expert Forum

The 8th Central Asian Expert Forum (CAEF) will take place in Tashkent on August 14-15, 2025, under the theme “Central Asia - a common space of trust, security, and sustainable development.”

Established in 2018, the CAEF is held annually in the country chairing the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, The Caspian Post reports citing Uzbek media.

The forum serves as an essential platform for discussing the current state and prospects of regional cooperation, as well as developing recommendations for further development of cooperation in Central Asia.

The Forum is organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS). Event partners include the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The Forum will traditionally bring together heads and specialists of strategic institutes, research centers, and academic institutions from across the region. For the first time, prominent experts from the EU, ASEAN, the Nordic Council, as well as researchers from Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Azerbaijan have been invited to participate in its work to exchange experience in regional studies.

The Forum’s program will focus on prospects for deepening regional cooperation and explore specific measures to promote multifaceted collaboration.

In addition, the Forum will feature separate events: a scientific-practical conference on shaping regional identity and a roundtable discussing prospects for partnership between Central Asia and Northern Europe.

The upcoming expert dialogue is expected to identify common interests and outline priorities for Central Asia’s future development. The resulting recommendations will enrich the agenda of the forthcoming Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, scheduled to take place this year in Uzbekistan.