Regional cooperation brings stability and development for Afghanistan and the region
Since the inception of the Afghanistan Reconnected Process in 2012, EWI has convened representatives of governments and members of parliament, experts, and the business community—from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the United States and Europe—to reframe regional challenges and develop concrete recommendations to promote economic growth. The main findings and policy recommendations produced though this multi-year process were summarized in an international conference in Istanbul in June 2016, and in a project review report in September 2016, both entitled “Afghanistan Reconnected – Cross Border Cooperation at a Critical Juncture.” In late 2016 and in 2017, EWI has engaged more closely with two key players with enormous potential in the region: Iran and China. Both countries play a fundamental role in enhancing regional cooperation and ensuring stability in Afghanistan and the Greater Central Asia region.
EWI’s Afghanistan program is striving to revitalize Afghanistan’s role as a strategically-located trade and transit hub, and focuses on the regional economic aspects of its stabilization. The country’s position at the crossroads of Asia lends the country the potential to connect the Indian subcontinent with Central Asia, the Middle East, and China. Integrating Afghanistan within Central and South Asia, and linking it to the rest of the world, entails creating opportunities for stability and economic security in the country and the region. By promoting energy security, transport infrastructure, trade, and investment, EWI’s Afghanistan Reconnected Process aims at increasing regional connectivity and facilitating the development of a common economic vision that sets political disputes aside.
The Afghanistan Reconnected Process is built upon the conviction that regional economic growth is a cornerstone to long-term security and stability for both Afghanistan and its neighbors. The meetings held with political, business, and academic leaders throughout the region as well as in the United States, Europe, and China have validated this assumption.
Our Impact
The Afghanistan Reconnected Process has facilitated the development of recommendations for policy reforms in the fields of energy, transport, trade and investment in Afghanistan and Central and Southwest Asia. Implemented measures have included the development a computerized customs-clearance system to enhance the transport of goods across borders; easing visa regimes to facilitate the movement of business persons in the region; and addressing the slow progress of the TAPI and CASA-1000 projects and the lack of regional transport interconnectivity.
Going Forward
EWI’s Afghanistan program is striving to revitalize Afghanistan’s role as a strategically-located trade and transit hub, and focuses on the regional economic aspects of its stabilization. By promoting energy security, transport infrastructure, trade, and investment, the Afghanistan Reconnected Process aims at increasing regional connectivity and facilitating the development of a common economic vision that sets political disputes aside.
