The event gathered high-level participants from EU and NATO institutions, the diplomatic community, and NGOs in the premises of Bavaria’s representation to the EU. During his speech, President Atambayev reviewed the progresses made in the fight against corruption and the containment of Islamic radicalization. Moreover, he stressed his commitment to strengthening people’s faith in Kyrgyzstan’s democratic process and to carrying out free and fair parliamentary elections in Autumn 2015.

Asked by Amb. Fleischer about Kyrgyzstan’s geopolitical position, President Atambayev highlighted the importance of establishing amicable ties with all neighboring countries. Kyrgyzstan considers itself a bridge between Europe and Asia, and in this respect sees the EU as an important partner that could be even more engaged in the region. At the same time, the country is developing its economic ties with neighbors. The foreseen accession to the Eurasian Economic Union by May 2015 should not be seen as a contradiction to the partnerships with the EU and NATO. President Atambayev was also optimistic about deepening cooperation with China and in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Following the discussion, the President opened a photo exhibition depicting the dramatic revolutionary events of the year 2010, as well as the rich culture and tradition of the country.

How can economic development increase not only prosperity, but also security and stability in post-2014 Afghanistan and the region? Can Afghanistan reclaim its unique position as a transit route between resources in Central Asia, Southwest Asia and the booming Far East? And what are Pakistan’s challenges and opportunities in this scenario?

These were the dominant themes of the EastWest Institute’s advocacy and outreach mission to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad from March 18-20, 2015, conducted as part of the Afghanistan Reconnected initiative (also referred to as the Abu Dhabi Process). The mission was carried out by a delegation of parliamentarians, former ministers and private sector experts from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the United States and Turkey. 

Defence & Diplomacy: Afghanistan Reconnect Process by sultanhali

These were the dominant themes of the EastWest Institute’s advocacy and outreach mission to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad from March 18-20, 2015, conducted as part of the Afghanistan Reconnected initiative (also referred to as the Abu Dhabi Process). The mission was carried out by a delegation of parliamentarians, former ministers and private sector experts from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the United States and Turkey. First convened by EWI in 2012, this distinguished group has continued to meet in order to address the region’s need for reforms and develop concrete recommendations for improving cross border cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and infrastructure.

President of Pakistan H.E. Mamnoon Hussain expressed sincere appreciation for EWI’s long standing commitment to the region. A series of intense exchanges with several high-level governmental policy-makers of Pakistan focused on the challenges of regional infrastructure construction and cross-border trade facilitation, including the development of a functioning regional network of roads, air and railway transportation as a prerequisite for further developments in trade, energy and mining. The relevant ministries of Pakistan also received the recommendations in writing and assured that these will be carefully considered.

All meetings took place in a frank and friendly manner and were off the record, except the inauguration which drew great attention from the media. Speaking at that opening, Ambassador Martin Fleischer, EWI’s vice president and director of its Regional Security Initiative, underlined that the Afghanistan Reconnected Process is based on the conviction that security and economic development are interdependent. Fleischer also asserted that unlocking the economic potential of the region is dependent not only on Afghanistan’s own transformation and institution-building, but also on reforms in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and cooperation between them.

In his keynote speech, H.E. Sartaj Aziz, advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs and national security, termed Afghanistan a vital connector for regional energy, communication and transmission corridor. Discussing his government’s efforts to link these corridors, Aziz referred to recent agreements on the Peshawar-Kabul Road and Chaman-Qandhar railway lines, affirming that these links would not only improve trade relations between the two countries, but would also help connect Central Asia with South Asia. The extension of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) to Tajikistan and other regional countries would be a great step in the right direction. Aziz stressed his government’s fundamental conviction that only peace and development in Afghanistan can bring stability to the region. Pakistan would continue to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan, particularly in a post–NATO situation. This would include bilateral and regional projects, such as the Kunar dam, with its capacity to generate 1500 MW of hydro-electricity, and the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project CASA-1000 and its upgrade to CASA- 1300 with addition of 300 MWs.

H.E. Sayed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Foreign Affairs, lauded EWI’s initiative and stressed the imperative role of the business community and private sector in expanding Pakistan-Afghanistan economic cooperation and advancing the shared goals of regional connectivity and economic integration. “A peaceful neighborhood is a pre-requisite for Pakistan’s economic development” he stressed and added that since the establishment of a new national unity Government in Afghanistan, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan had substantially improved.

H.E.  Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, federal minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources urged Pakistan, Afghanistan and neighboring countries to engage in intensive partnerships to meet their growing energy demands, and to harness the massive economic opportunities provided by energy trade. He said that the region is at the early stages of a transition toward an energy economy in response to a global trend toward prioritizing energy security. Abbasi stressed  that there are no political obstacles to the implementation of major regional energy projects such as TAPI and CASA-1000. As a gateway to resource rich Central Asia, Afghanistan holds the keys to unlock a prosperous regional economy by acting as a transit route for energy supplies from Central Asia to energy markets in South Asia—a “scenario with win-win potentials for all stakeholders,” Abbasi said.

H.E. Eng. Khurram Dastgir Khan, minister of Commerce, outlined Pakistan’s plans for massive investment to improve infrastructure on the border with Afghanistan and India, and initiatives to upgrade port capacities at Karachi, port Qasim and port Gawader, in order to provide opportunities for Afghanistan and other Central Asian Republics to expand access to regional and international markets. Khan affirmed that new land-ports will be constructed at the Torkhan and Wagah borders to expedite Afghan exports and imports across Pakistan.

H.E. Mohammed Zubair, minister of Privatization, was briefed on the Turkish experience with private sector engagement in border management, which has led to substantial improvement in Turkey’s border posts at little or no cost to the government. The minister expressed a desire to explore the applicability of this innovative model in Pakistan.

A cross-cutting theme in all talks was the need to normalize relations with India, or at least put political issues aside, so as to foster cross-border economic cooperation. The next advocacy mission of EWI’s Afghanistan Reconnected series will take place in New Delhi mid-June this year.

Afghanistan Reconnected is funded by the governments of Germany and the U.A.E., as well as private donors. The mission to Islamabad was supported by the Pathfinder Group and its Chairman Ikram Seghal, who is also a member of EWI’s board of directors, and the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR). EWI’s Chief Operating Officer Mr. James Creighton signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KCFR to sustain the cooperation between the two institutes.
 

Media Coverage 

1.      Dawn

2.      The News

3.      Express Tribune

4.      Express Tribune ISL

5.      Daily Times

6.      Business Recorder

7.      Pakistan Observer

8.      Jang

Event Photos

Advocacy meeting with H.E. Eng. Khurram Dastgir Khan, Pakistani Minister of Commerce 
 

Speech at opening session by H.E. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and
Foreign Affairs, Pakistan
 

Exchange of gifts between EWI CEO James Creighton and Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi, Secretary General
and CEO, Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) 
 

EWI delegation leaving the Presidency after meeting with President Hussain

Creighton emphasized that a comprehensive strategy is required to combat the terrorist group, and maintained that the U.S. must take a leadership role in the fight.

To watch the video on the Arise News Youtube Channel, click here.

“To call World Order timely would be an understatement,” Ischinger begins, “for if there was one thing the world yearned for in 2014, it was order.” Given the many novel problems of our world today, Ischinger praises Kissinger’s ability to view them in a way that only he can - one that both stretches far back into history and understands the world’s great diversity. At the same time, Ischinger furthers the debate in contending Kissinger’s beliefs on developing issues such as the “responsibility to protect” doctrine and the internet’s effect on global affairs.

Appreciating the complexity of Kissinger’s arguments as well as the issues they examine, Ischinger ends by stating that “Kissinger’s book is a gift to all of those who care about global order and seek to stave off conflict in the twenty-first century.”

Read the full article here. 

Vice President and Director of Regional Security Ambassador Martin Fleischer presented EWI’s activities in the region, introducing a keynote speech by Ambassador Miroslav Jenča, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Asia and head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). The high-level event was enriched by comments from Mr. James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, and Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, NATO; H.E. Mr. Homayoun Tandar, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg; and H.E. Mr. Rustamjon Soliev, Ambassador of Tajikistan to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg. The roundtable discussion was moderated by Mr. Christian Forstner, head of the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Brussels Center.

Ambassador Fleischer outlined the prospects for stability and cooperation in Afghanistan and Central Asia, presenting the steps taken by EWI’s Afghanistan Reconnected Process. This initiative aims at forging regional economic cooperation to minimize the economic impact of security transition in Afghanistan in the years to come, by engaging governments, Members of Parliament and private-sector leaders from the region. The Afghanistan Reconnected Process has identified energy trade and transit, cross-border trade facilitation and investment in regional transport infrastructure as most urgent areas of cooperation that can contribute to enhanced cooperation and economic security in the region. In 2015, EWI will undertake comprehensive regional advocacy and outreach missions for the implementation of the priority measures identified, with the private sector as main driver of the economic cooperation agenda.

While recognizing the value of EWI’s initiatives in the region, Ambassador Jenča acknowledged the increasing complexity of Central Asia and the need for more regional cooperation, in the interest of stability. The situation is not only related to the completion of NATO’s combat mandate in Afghanistan, the withdrawal of troops and the potential security implications on Central Asia, but also to other regional and broader challenges. In particular, the presence of Central Asian foreign fighters in the Middle East, the crisis in Ukraine, the falling ruble and prices of oil and gas, as well as the decreasing remittances of labor migrants from Central Asia in Russia also had a significant impact on the region and its stability.

Beyond the issue of regional cooperation, Ambassador Jenča wondered if countries of the region truly identified with Central Asia as a region. The lack of regional structures, limited cooperation, communication, transport links and cross-border trade, which stagnates at about 6 percent of total trade in each country, seem to suggest that this is not the case. The slow progress of the CASA 1000 and TAPI projects exemplify the skepticism encountered by cross-border initiatives, which require further stability and international community involvement to succeed.

At the same time, Ambassador Jenča mentioned that the main challenges and obstacles to stability often lie within Central Asian states. The succession of political leaders, socio-economic problems, marginalization, shortcomings in the rule of law, religious extremism, inter-ethnic tensions and organized crime are issues which need to be addressed by the countries in the region in particular through preventive efforts, which UNRCCA promotes. Moreover, the more stable, democratic and prosperous the countries will become, the more resistant they will be to external threats.

Despite the risks and threats faced by the region, Ambassador Jenča stressed that Central Asian states had made continuous progress in the past 20 years and had managed to keep the region stable. In this respect the international community needs to build upon and sustain the developments achieved in the region. As Central Asian states continue to diversify their foreign policy and partners to face increasing challenges, the EU has the opportunity to become an even more attractive partner in the region, and may consider more targeted support to Central Asia.

The ensuing discussion referred to the challenges posed to the region by unresolved border disputes, tensions over the use of common water resources and energy needs, marginalization and human rights questions, drug trafficking, terrorism and other forms of organized crime. Such trends continue to undermine regional stability and require concerted efforts by all countries of Central Asia to develop effective responses.

The regional dimension of the threat of violent extremism was strongly remarked, in light of the possible return of over 2,000 fighters from the region who joined the IS insurgency in Iraq and Syria. In addition, Ambassador Soliev noted that IS has announced future actions in Pakistan and Afghanistan, raising the level of alert of neighboring countries. A recent meeting of deputy foreign ministers from the region has discussed the issue at length in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

In addition, developments in Afghanistan are affecting security in Central Asia as a whole, as there is a potential threat of terrorist and extremist actions related to lesser control over the Afghan territory after the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In this respect, Ambassador Tandar stressed the key role of Afghanistan, which he described as “The Shield of Central Asia” in the fight against terrorism.

Speakers agreed that ISAF and the international community have not successfully addressed narco-trafficking stemming from Afghanistan during ISAF’s mandate, and that it is having an impact outside the country’s borders, feeding organized crime in the region and beyond. As the NATO presence decreases, poppy cultivation is increasing—as forecasted by UNODC, whose regional program on the topic is coming to an end. These developments may exacerbate the already fragile security situation in the region. Further commitment is therefore required from the international community. NATO is available to provide support to Central Asia in relation to narco-trafficking, as well as in the field of border control and transit through training and mapping exercises. However, its involvement should not be seen as part of a zero-sum game by other influential actors in the region, as it will not be embedded in a political agenda.

It was also mentioned that Central Asian states can play a more important role in stabilizing Afghanistan, using their comparative advantages of geographical proximity, cultural similarities, and potential for mutually beneficial regional cooperation. Countries in the region are already involved in Afghanistan’s energy, infrastructure, transport and capacity building, but further engagement is necessary. These countries, however, need to be supported by the international community in order to harvest the fruits of regional cooperation. In particular, Afghanistan needs to be better engaged in regional processes and relevant regional initiatives. At this critical time, international support for concrete projects is needed more than ever.

Speakers agreed that Central Asian states feel they need to survive between two powerhouses: Russia and China. The former’s influence in security and politics is great, and the latter’s economic clout is growing continuously.  This often puts countries in the region in front of difficult choices. For example, Ambassador Jenča referred to Kyrgyzstan’s decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as China’s pledge of 3 billion dollars for projects in the region, through its Silk Road Initiative. Central Asian states are strengthening ties with these partners, while others’ commitments to the region have been less consistent. In particular, the US’ interests in the region remain unclear, while the EU needs to show itself as a more appealing partner, beyond its ongoing engagement in the area.

Particular attention was paid to the EU’s involvement in Central Asia, thanks to the contribution of Members of European Parliament Dorfmann and Zeller from the audience. More specifically, they highlighted how the EU is lagging behind Russia and China in the establishment of its priorities in the region. After the launch of the EU Strategy for Central Asia in 2007, its role was largely neglected until the current Latvian EU Presidency, which has committed to producing a more focused updated strategy by the summer. The EU has nonetheless expanded its assistance to Central Asia, and the European Parliament has been supporting the region’s path towards democracy. Moreover, Ambassador Soliev reminded the audience about the upcoming EU-Central Asia High-level Security Dialogue, to be held on March 11, 2015, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Ambassador Jenča stressed fostering cooperation and establishing partnerships as fundamental factors for advancements in the region. In particular, he recognized the commitments in this direction made by Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, who, since his inauguration has conducted numerous international missions aimed at strengthening ties with neighboring countries. Moreover, looking at the region as a whole, Ambassador Jenča concluded that cooperation between states in the region is an absolute priority for stability, and that the implementation of national reforms is key.

In this sense, in the margins of the conference, the UNSRSG and EWI formed a partnership for the final and critical phase of the Afghanistan Reconnected Process, aiming at advocating for reforms with governments in the region. By sharing the policy recommendations developed by business leaders from Central Asia and neighboring countries with concerned national administrations, the initiative will promote and support change towards enhanced economic cooperation and stability for the region.