In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Honorable Heads of Strategic Studies Centers and Think Tanks from Central Asian countries, including the Republic of Azerbaijan, along with esteemed delegations,
Distinguished guests, and participants!
Assalamu Alaikum…
I hope this day finds you all in good health and spirits.
It is a source of great pride and pleasure that the first meeting of “Strategic Studies Centers and Think Tanks of Afghanistan and Central Asia, including the Republic of Azerbaijan,” titled “The Strategic Role of Think Tanks in Advancing Regional Cooperation,” is being held today in the beautiful city of Kabul.
I extend a warm and sincere welcome to all of you. I hope this gathering — organized on the initiative of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with the participation of the heads and delegations of strategic studies centers and think tanks from Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Azerbaijan — will prove effective in identifying and strengthening common grounds for scientific, research, and intellectual cooperation among the region’s study institutions. I also hope it will result in the presentation of constructive and practical proposals to support the state decision-makers.
Distinguished guests,
Given the developments and challenges in the global structure, the current international order finds itself at a sensitive juncture in history — a period marked, on the one hand, by various illusions and contradictory narratives, and, on the other, by efforts toward cooperation and multilateralism.
In the midst of this, praise be to God, relations between Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries, including Azerbaijan, have strengthened and expanded more than ever before, based on an opportunity-oriented and cooperation-focused narrative. Today, we have gathered not merely as representatives of countries, but as thinkers and intellectual leaders of a shared geography, to elevate relations between the countries of the region — particularly between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries — from the current level of engagement and cooperation to a stage of deep and sustainable convergence.
There is no doubt that, in order to make more effective and constructive decisions and to develop indigenous narratives for our region and shared future, specialists and researchers from academic and intellectual institutions must draft practical and comprehensive roadmaps for future cooperation across various fields.
This makes cooperation among the region’s think tanks and study centers not merely an option, but an inevitable necessity.
Distinguished experts,
The challenges and opportunities before us make the need for research and cooperation among the region’s scientific and research institutions clearer than ever. In this regard, I would like to briefly mention a few examples of these challenges:
First: Environmental challenges and climate change: Our region faces shared crises such as climate change, water scarcity, air pollution, and other environmental problems. These threats do not recognize political borders. Research centers should produce accurate data and scientific analyses to provide governments with joint solutions for managing these crises.
Second: Security concerns and regional conflicts: Ongoing wars and conflicts in our shared regional environment have caused profound disruptions to economic chains, movement of people, and food and energy security. In such circumstances, study and research centers are not merely academic institutions; they can serve as intellectual partners and drivers of regional diplomacy by offering scientific and practical solutions for managing these conflicts and strengthening regional convergence.
Third: Economic and transit opportunities: Afghanistan, as a natural bridge between Central and South Asia, holds significant potential for regional connectivity. Projects such as CASA-1000, TAPI, TAP, the Lapis Lazuli Route, the Afghan–Trans railway project, and other transit corridors and joint regional initiatives require precise economic studies, forward-looking analyses, and research-based evaluations. Study centers should clearly highlight the mutual benefits of these projects to strengthen mutual trust among the countries.
Fourth: The necessity of indigenous narrative-building: The opportunities, challenges, and shared future of our region require authentic, locally-driven narratives. More than ever, researchers from Afghanistan and Central Asia must become the narrators of the region’s realities, opportunities, and challenges. This goal can only be achieved through cohesive research collaborations and the continuous exchange of scientific findings.
Distinguished guests,
The successful convening of the first “Afghanistan–Central Asia Consultative Dialogue” on 5 April 2026 in Kabul has established an important political framework for the development of regional cooperation. However, there is also a felt need to create a specialized, research-oriented mechanism that can transform political commitments and agreements into practical and implementable proposals, thereby advancing regional cooperation beyond the level of consultative dialogues.
The primary objective of today’s forum is to provide a platform for analytical discussions, the exchange of specialized views, and the presentation of policy-oriented solutions on the most important issues concerning the future of regional cooperation between Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries.
This forum seeks to achieve the following goals:
- Enhancing and strengthening mutual understanding between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries, including Azerbaijan;
- Reviewing and formulating research-based proposals for the implementation of commitments and agreements reached during the first Afghanistan–Central Asia Consultative Dialogue;
- Deepening awareness and understanding of political, economic, and security trends and developments in the region, and assessing their impact on Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries;
- Identifying and examining innovative mechanisms for cooperation in the areas of regional connectivity, economic development, transit, trade, investment, cultural exchanges, and cultural diplomacy;
- Strengthening scientific and research cooperation through this intellectual and academic forum among the strategic studies centers, think tanks, and research institutions of the region;
- Creating the conditions for the production of indigenous knowledge and the presentation of a regional narrative on opportunities, challenges, and the future of shared cooperation, relying on the scientific and intellectual capacities of the countries of the region.
Distinguished experts and scholars,
To conclude, I wish to emphasize that scientific and research cooperation represents the most sustainable, least costly, and most effective form of diplomacy among nations and countries.
Global experience has shown that many major political, economic, and regional initiatives first took shape in academic forums and think tanks before being transformed into official state policies.
Today, our historic responsibility is to establish durable frameworks for cooperation, hold regular and rotational meetings, define joint research programs, exchange information, publish joint scientific works, and expand connections among research institutions. In doing so, we will lay the necessary intellectual foundations for major political and economic decisions in the region.
Afghanistan, with its deep religious, civilizational, geographical, and shared future bonds — including economic opportunities — with Central Asia, firmly believes that a stable, prosperous, and secure future for all countries of the region can only be realized through the path of cooperation, mutual trust, regional connectivity, and a shared understanding of collective interests.
The Afghan researchers and intellectuals extend their hands in friendship toward researchers from other countries, especially the Central Asian nations, including the Republic of Azerbaijan.
I hope this forum marks the beginning of a new chapter in regional research cooperation and will help draw a brighter horizon for our region through strengthened scientific dialogue, exchange of views, joint knowledge production, and the identification of new avenues for collaboration.
I express my sincere appreciation for the valuable presence of all of you at this meeting and pray to Almighty Allah for success and fruitful outcomes for the organizers and all participants.
Thank you!
