Experts from the Uzbek Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research have calculated the Index of Cooperation between Central Asian countries. This was reported to Nova24.uz at the Institute.
According to the analysis, the indicator of the cooperation index for 2017-2021 increased by 1.3 times from 28 to 38%. The index is calculated on such indicators as trade turnover, investment flows, trade value, tourist and migration flows.
It is noted that the greatest contribution to the growth of the index value was made by the increase in mutual investments by the countries of the region in each other's economies. Thus, the share of investment flows (inflow and outflow) between the countries of the region in the total volume of investment flows of countries increased by 5.6 times.
The second most important indicator of growth is the increase in the volume of trade between the countries of the region. The share of intra-regional trade in the total trade turnover of the countries increased 1.5 times.
The cost of trade between the Central Asian countries is on average 4 times lower than with other trading partners. This is explained by the fact that the Central Asian region is pursuing an active policy for the development of transport infrastructure within the region.
Today, more than 80% of Central Asian citizens leaving the country for tourism purposes prefer intra-regional tourism. In this regard, within the framework of the Central Asia Cooperation Index, the share of intra-regional tourism in total tourist flows is 83%.
Considering the migration flows between the countries of the region, it is noted that only 15.3% of people entering the countries of Central Asia for the purpose of living and working are citizens of these countries. That is, for residents of the Central Asian countries, the region is not a priority when choosing a country of residence or looking for a job.
During his visit to Astana, Director of the International Institute of Central Asia Vladimir Norov discussed the development of the region for the next ten years.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 26, 2023