On April 27, the fourth meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of “Central Asia - China” was held in Xi’an, China. Foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and a representative of Turkmenistan at the level of deputy minister took part in the event.

Current issues of mutual cooperation between Central Asian countries and China were discussed at the meeting. At the ministerial meeting, an agreement was reached on the organization of the “Central Asia-China” summit of the heads of state in Xi’an in May 2023.

At the end of the event, a press briefing was held for media representatives with the participation of the heads of delegations.

In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, noted that this format is an important platform for strengthening regional interdependence and deepening multilateral cooperation. The priority directions of this regional dialogue include trade-economic, transport-communication, scientific-technical, cultural-humanitarian directions. Confidence was expressed that the further development of cooperation between the Central Asian countries and the People’s Republic of China with the active participation of representatives of business circles will allow effective use of the existing potential.

The foreign ministers of the participating countries took part in the briefing and expressed their statements on the results of the ministerial meeting, as well as their positions on current issues of the regional and international agenda.

China’s State Council member and Foreign Minister Xin Gan said during his speech that China fully supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Central Asian countries. He emphasized that the parties respect each other’s national interests and do not allow external forces to interfere in internal affairs.