Central Asian Leaders' Consultation Meetings as a regional integration initiative

Central Asia, one of the oldest inhabited regions in human history, has always maintained its importance due to its sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and geographical position, but during the Soviet era, it lost its importance and became a forgotten region. With the onset of the 21st century and the emergence of a new world order characterized by a shift in power dynamics and the transition towards a multipolar global system, Central Asia has become a geography that has been rediscovered and is once again regained significance in international relations discipline. This region has become an area for political, economic, strategic, and cultural competition among global and regional actors such as Russia, China, US, EU, Türkiye, Iran, and India, and the region's geopolitical, geoeconomic, geostrategic, and geocultural importance has been virtually rediscovered. This situation demonstrates that the Central Asian countries must efficiently leverage the opportunities and potential offered by the evolving global landscape while recognizing the current importance of their region. For these reasons, the Central Asian countries have embarked on a quest for regional integration to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks. As an expression of this pursuit, for the first time since gaining independence, the Central Asian countries have come together to initiate the Central Asian Leaders' Consultative Meetings, aiming to take collective steps towards the future of the region. Held regularly since 2018, these meetings have been organized once in each country, completing a full cycle. During these meetings, regional leaders address political, economic, and sociocultural issues, seeking regional solutions to regional problems. The main purpose of these meetings, which can be seen as a search for regional integration, is to act together to maintain regional stability and peace, ensure regional development and prosperity, and create a shared culture and identity in the region. Therefore, evaluating all the Consultation Meetings held so far together is of foremost importance in terms of providing a general idea about a regional integration model that is likely to emerge in the future. Conducted with these motives, this research analyzes the causes and consequences of the Consultative Meetings, which have the potential to trigger more harmonized relations among Central Asian countries. Furthermore, this study thoroughly examines the possibility of a regional integration in Central Asia, the opportunities available to the region in this regard, and positive and negative factors influencing this process. In summary, this study focuses on the consultation meetings of Central Asian leaders, who are in a quest for regional integration, and examines the background of this process from various perspectives.