THE COMMON INTEGRATION AND STABILITY POLICY OF CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES IN RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL CRISIS

Abstract

This study examines the impact of global and regional crises on the regional cooperation trends and shared stability policies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan during the 2018-2025 period. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine War, supply chain disruptions, energy and food security issues, and border, water, and security crises constitute the main areas of investigation. The research assesses the capacity of the five countries to identify common risks, develop regional agendas, and produce coordinated policy tools without establishing a supranational structure. Based on a qualitative comparative case design, the study examines official documents, decisions from the Central Asian Heads of State Consultative Meetings, international organization reports, and academic studies through document analysis. The findings show that regional coordination is concentrated in areas where cross-border externalities are high and perceived sovereignty costs are relatively low, such as health, transportation, trade facilitation, water-energy, and disaster management. In contrast, national and central decisions remain dominant in areas related to security preferences, sanctions, and regime stability. Diversification of transportation routes and external economic partnerships has strengthened the pursuit of a multifaceted foreign policy and strategic autonomy. However, economic asymmetries, differing organizational affiliations, sovereignty sensitivities, and limited implementation mechanisms hinder more binding institutionalization. This study concludes that the most viable approach in Central Asia is sovereignty-sensitive functional regionalization based on measurable obligations, technical coordination, and variable participation, rather than supranational integration.

Funding: This research workwas funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the framework of the project AP27508567 Evolving Regional Identity of Kazakhstan: Political, Social and Economic Integration of Central Asia in the Context of Geopolitical Turbulence.