At the CAMCA forum in Baku, Uzbekistan proposes a stronger regional body for Central Asia
Senate First Deputy Chairman Sodiq Safoev called for transforming the heads-of-state Consultative Meeting into an institutional structure.
Uzbekistan has called for a stronger regional institution for Central Asian states. Speaking at the CAMCA (Central Asia, Mongolia, Caucasus and Afghanistan) Regional Forum, held in Baku for the first time, on October 1, the First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan's Senate, Sodiq Safoev, said the time had come to move the heads-of-state Consultative Meeting beyond a mere consultative format into an institutional structure.
The proposal
Safoev said: "I think the time has come to transform the Consultative Meeting into another institutional structure, not simply a Consultative Meeting, but something more." He stressed the need for clear goals, shared values and common outcomes to deepen regional integration.
Origins of the idea
Safoev's remarks in Baku returned attention to the "Community of Central Asia" vision that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined at a Tashkent summit on November 16, 2025. That proposal envisioned a rotating secretariat to coordinate work between summits, enhanced rules for leaders' meetings, and elevating national coordinators into special presidential representatives with greater political authority.
An expanding format
The Council of National Coordinators held its inaugural meeting in Tashkent on January 30–31, 2025. In November 2025, Azerbaijan was accepted as a full participant, expanding the format to six countries, now referred to as the "C6."
