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Geopolitical factors and processes in Central Asia
Khushnud JUMANIYOZOV
1
Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received September 2022
Received in revised form
25 September 2022
Accepted 20 October 2022
Available online
25 November 2022
In the article natural and geographical, social and economical
and logistics opportunities in states of Central Asia have been
considered. The research on theme concept
“Central Asia: its
borders, territory” have been analyzed. Natural
and
geographical conditions, social and economic development
level, logistics opportunities of the countries located in the
region have been considered. Analyses and synthesis, historical
logical, comparative study, general conclusion methods have
been used in the article.
2181-
1415/©
2022 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol3-iss10/S-pp1
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
Central Asia,
Middle Asia,
Great Silk Road,
geography,
logistics,
national interest,
geographical environment,
geopolitical factor,
demography.
Markaziy Osiyodagi geosyosiyot omillari va jarayonlari
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
O‘rta Osiyo,
O‘rta Osiyo,
Buyuk Ipak yo‘li,
geografiya,
logistika,
milliy manfaat,
geografik muhit,
geosiyosiy omil,
demografiya.
Maqolada Markaziy Osiyo davlatlarining tabiiy-geografik,
ijtimoiy-
iqtisodiy va logistika imkoniyatlari ko‘rib chiqildi.
“Markaziy Osiyo: uning chegaralari, hududi” mavzusidagi ilmiy
tadqiqotda mintaqada joylashgan davlatlarning tabiiy-geografik
sharoitlari, ijtimoiy-iqtisodiy rivojlanish darajasi, logistika
imkoniyatlari ko‘rib chiqildi. Maqolada tahlil va sintez, tarixiy
mantiqiy, qiyosiy tadqiq, umumiy xulosa usullari foydalanilgan.
1
PhD, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Fundamentals of Spirituality and Legal Education, Tashkent
State Pedagogical University named after Nizami
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Геополитические факторы и процессы в Центральной
Азии
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
Центральная Азия,
Средняя Азия,
Великий шелковый путь,
география,
логистика,
национальный интерес,
географическая среда,
геополитический фактор,
демография.
В статье рассмотрены природно
-
географические,
социально
-
экономические и логистические возможности
государств
Центральной
Азии.
Проанализированы
исследования на тему «Центральная Азия: ее границы,
территория».
Рассмотрены
природно
-
географические
условия, уровень социально
-
экономического развития,
логистические возможности стран, расположенных в
регионе. В статье использованы методы анализа и синтеза,
историко
-
логический,
сравнительного
исследования,
общий вывод.
INTRODUCTION
Our country is located in the heart of Central Asia, in connecting region of the West
and the East. After the collapse of former union, the Central Asian countries entered the
field as full members of international law. Due to its huge area, fertile lands, natural
resources, labor force, transport and logistics, huge unexploited domestic market, has
become the object of many studies.
A large-scale cooperation of our country with the near and far neighboring
countries depends on stability in the region. Ensuring security, interethnic harmony and
religious tolerance in the fifth direction of the Strategy of Actions on five priority
directions of development of Uzbekistan in 2017
–
2021, conducting a well-thought-out,
mutually beneficial and practical foreign policy focused on strengthening the
independence and sovereignty of our country, creating an environment of security,
stability and friendly neighborhood around Uzbekistan, and strengthening the
international prestige of our country [1].
As the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev noted,
“
Uzbekistan is
directly interested in transformation of this region into a region of stability, consistent
development and good neighborliness. A peaceful, economically developed Central Asia
is the most important goal and main task that we strive for. Uzbekistan is a firm
supporter of mutual dialogue, practical cooperation and strengthening of good
neighborliness. We are ready to cooperate with the countries of Central Asia on the basis
of reasonable compromise on all issues without exception
”
[2].
LITERATURE ANALYSIS AND METHODS
Our nation has been located at the crossroads of Great Silk Road, connecting the
West and the East since ancient times. Our region has gained wide attention for its
nature, climate, fertile lands and mineral resources. For this reason, it has been an
important research topic of social and political sciences both in distant past and today.
Ma’lumki “Markaziy Osiyo” (o‘zb.
Markaziy Osiyo
, rus.
Sentralnaya Aziya
, kaz.
Ortaliq
Aziya
, mong.
T
ө
v Azi
, turkm.
Merkezi Aziýa
, kirg.
Borbor Aziya
, tadj.
Osiyoi Markaz
ӣ
, pers.
یایسآ
یزکرم
, urdu
ایشیا طس
, kit.
中
亚
)
–
The term was introduced into social and political literature
by the German geographer Alexander Humboldt in 1843. Central Asia usually includes the
landlocked regions of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Researcher Savitsky uses the term Turan for this region widely [3].
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The term
“
Central Asia
”
is widely used in geographical sources from the time of the
former Soviet Union. It does not include Kazakhstan. Thus, the terms Central Asia and
Kazakhstan were used as separate concepts. The division of Soviet state into a number of
economic regions may have been the reason for the use of these terms [4].
As recognized by UNESCO, the Central Asian region includes Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Western China,
Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Punjab, Kashmir, North takes the territories of India, North
Pakistan, Northeast Iran., Sometimes there is also an ethnic approach to defining the
territory of Central Asia. It mainly refers to the lands inhabited by Turkic peoples,
Mongolians and Tibetans.
By the 1990s, American political scientist Michael Mandelbaum began to interpret
the meaning of this term in completely different way. In his opinion, Central Asia should
be understood as former Soviet republics (including Kazakhstan), Western China (Xinjin-
Uyghur Autonomous Region), Afghanistan, regions adjacent to India-Pakistan borders,
and Mongolia. Of course, the peoples of this region have always been in economic and
cultural relations in different times, sometimes within different kingdoms. It can be seen
that there are a number of historical, cultural and economic grounds for such opinion. On
the other hand, the purpose of such coverage of territorial expanses of Central Asia may
have been interpreted in order to destroy Russia historical claim to Central Asia [5].
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
On the eve of new millennium, the Central Asian countries gained their
independence and became full-fledged subjects of international law and international
relations. These countries have taken a step towards independent political development
and renewal of socio-economic relations. They are trying to strengthen their position
among other countries of the world based on the level of their social and economic
development and potential. These countries faced the task of eliminating tragic
consequences of failed historical experiment in short period of time. They faced difficult
task of building a truly civil society with a free market economy, democratic, and reliable
protection of human rights and freedoms.
When it comes to the solution of such tasks, the analysis of current social and
political situation in these countries is important.
Central Asia territory, location, geostrategic, natural-physical opportunities are a
point of importance in modern international politics. After the collapse of former union,
as a full-fledged subject of international law, the countries of the region are actively
participating in various integration processes in international arena. The traditional term
“
Kazakhstan and Central Asia
”
was abandoned.
Central Asia territory, location, geostrategic, natural and physical opportunities are
a point of importance in modern international politics. After the collapse of former union,
as a full-fledged subject of international law, the countries of region are actively
participating in various integration processes in international arena. Central Asia is also
important as a link connecting the regions of China, India, Russia, and the Middle East,
with its population, labor force, territory, natural resources, transport logistics, advanced
science and technology. Together with Afghanistan, it has an area of 4.5 million square
kilometers and more than eighty million people live there.
If we analyze social and economic, geographical and physical indicators of the
countries located in the region, we can witness the following scene.
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Kazakhstan
is a country located in the center of the Eurasian continent. Its area is
equal to 2.724 million square kilometers, and it ranks 9th in terms of area in the world.
Kazakhstan is extremely rich in natural resources. Gold, silver, chrome, svinets, tungsten
reserves take the leading place in the world in terms of quantity. In central part of the
country, there are many copper mines and rare metals. Coal reserves are located in the
northern regions. The surroundings of Mangishloq region are very rich with oil and gas
reserves. The climate of the country is continental. About six thousand plant species grow
in vast plains, more than five hundred species of birds, about 180 wild animals, and more
than a hundred species of fish live in its waters. Forests make up 5.5% of total area [6].
Uzbekistan
is located in the heart of Central Asia and connects the countries of
Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan in the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the
east, Afghanistan in the south, and Turkmenistan in the west. Uzbekistan is extremely
rich in natural mineral reserves. There are about a hundred types of minerals. Gold,
silver, chrome, svinets, tungsten, and uranium reserves take the leading places in the
world. Uzbekistan has 74% of gas condensates, 40% of natural gas reserves, and 55% of
coal in Central Asia. It ranks sixth in the world in terms of uranium reserves. Most of total
area is deserts. Its climate and fertile soil are extremely favorable for agriculture.
Tajikistan
is located in the southeast of Central Asian region. The mountainous
part makes up 90% of total area of the country. The district has various natural
resources. Svinets, molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold, silver, uranium, iron ores have
been discovered. There are also a lot of fossils used in industry and construction. It
should be said that at the moment the country is very rich in hydropower resources. A
large part of electricity produced in the country is provided by hydroelectric power
plants. The climate is subtropical and changes sharply in some seasons. In the country,
light industry, textile industry, food industry, building materials production are widely
developed. Also, non-ferrous metals, including aluminum production, metallurgical
industry were captured. Aluminum, gold, textile products are the main part of exported
products. Import is 3.2 times higher than export [7].
Kyrgyzstan
is located in the north-east of the Central Asian region. It is bordered
by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China. There are deposits of various crystals,
marble, shale, gold, molybdenum, and iron ores. Due to the large number of mountainous
regions, hydropower resources occupy an important place. Industrial development
remains extremely slow. Especially transport logistics are very backward. According to
2018 estimates, exports amounted to 1.765 billion dollars (US), while imports amounted
to 4.907 billion dollars [8].
The state of Turkmenistan is located in the south-west of Central Asia. It is
bordered by Iran and Afghanistan in the south, Kazakhstan in the north, and Uzbekistan
in the northeast. The western borders of the country are washed by the Caspian Sea.
More than eighty percent of the country territory is the Karakum desert. Mountain
ranges are rare. But these deserts are extremely rich in natural resources. There are
many deposits of oil, gas, gold, and sulfur in its bosom.
While industrial production makes up 34% of gross social product, the
contribution of agriculture is 10%. Privatization exists only in social service sectors.
Industry, transport, communications, energy still remain part of state sector. The country
ranks fourth in the world in terms of export of fuel and energy products. Therefore, oil
and gas processing industry is highly developed. Transport logistics is not well
developed. In 2010, pipeline transport with Iran was launched [8].
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There are many problems with the completion of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-
Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. Of course, first of all, stability is important in Afghanistan.
The fact that the countries of the Central Asian region have attracted the attention of
leading countries of the world can be explained by the following factors:
•
Central Asian countries are located in an important geostrategic part of the
continent. The most important transport logistics lines pass through this area. It connects
India, China, Eastern countries in general with the West;
•
the area has a number of natural mineral resources. The region has a large
amount of precious metal raw materials and energy resources, especially the Caspian oil
and gas reserves;
•
the population of the countries located in this area; national economy has a large
internal market that has not been fully exploited until now;
•
as a result of further improvement of production and communication networks
of these countries, it is possible to have favorable opportunities in trade with neighboring
countries;
•
the region can absorb a large amount of investments, especially raw materials
extraction and export industries;
•
the leading countries will also have the opportunity to satisfy their interests by
organizing production infrastructure based on efficient use of competence and labor
force of the region.
CONCLUSION
The approaches of the states that have their own interests in the region to Central
Asia and integration processes taking place there are based on certain principles. The
principle of
“
geopolitical regionalism
”
stands out among them. This principle makes it
possible to consider Central Asian region as a single geopolitical space, an area with
common political and economic interests. Based on the analysis of geopolitical processes
in Central Asian region, the following suggestions and conclusions can be put forward:
First, large-scale international cooperation is the best guarantee for sustainable
development of Uzbekistan. Such cooperation does not allow any country to have a
monopoly in the region. As the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev
noted,
“
Uzbekistan continues relations with international organizations such as the
United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, and the Commonwealth of Independent States at a new stage. Our
cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been
restored, partnership relations with the European Investment Bank have been
established. Mutual cooperation with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund,
the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank is taking shape
”
[2].
Secondly, raising the relations between the countries of region based on good
neighborliness to a new level and improving them will be a suitable response to external
influences. It is necessary to create an opportunity for leading countries of the world to
conduct activities based on mutual cooperation and beneficial cooperation in this region,
not for superiority.
Thirdly, when it comes to integration of our country in the world community, first
of all, active participation in the activities of international organizations is of great
importance. With its participation in the work of prestigious international organizations,
Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to draw attention of the world community to acute
problems of ensuring security, peace and harmony in the Central Asian region.
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1.
O‘zbekiston
Respublikasi Prezidentining Farmoni.
O‘zbekiston Respublikasini
yanada rivojlantirish bo‘yicha Harakatlar strategiyasi to‘g‘risida. (O‘zbekiston
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–
Toshkent: “O‘zbekiston” NMIU,2018.
(
Согласие
нашего
народа
-
высшая
оценка
нашей
деятельности
), (The consent of our people is the highest value given to
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–
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