A two-day business forum in the B5+1 format has started in Bishkek, gathering representatives from the business circles and government structures of Central Asian countries and the United States of America.
The goal of this event is to demonstrate the importance of the private sector for reforming economic policy and strengthening economic interaction between the USA and Central Asia.
During the forum, the implementation of 21 recommendations proposed at the first B5+1 forum, which took place in Almaty in 2024, is being discussed, as well as new priorities for enhancing regional integration and dialogue between the public and private sectors are being formulated.
The main sectors that will be focused on in 2026 include:
- agriculture;
- financial sector and banking;
- critical mineral resources;
- e-commerce and IT;
- transport and logistics;
- tourism.
It has been reported that the B5+1 forum is a logical continuation of the recent C5+1 summit, which marked its tenth anniversary. As a result of this summit, the governments of the USA and the five Central Asian countries issued a joint statement recognizing B5+1 as "a significant business alternative to the diplomatic platform C5+1." This support underscores the growing importance of the private sector for the development of regional economic cooperation and enhances the significance of the forum in Bishkek.
The main task of the forum is to institutionalize the B5+1 format as a long-term platform that will complement the C5+1 framework and promote sustainable economic reforms, investments, and the development of cooperation between the private sector and the governments of Central Asia and the USA.
Note: The B5+1 platform is the business equivalent of the diplomatic format C5+1, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the USA. The initiative is implemented by CIPE under the "Improving the Business Environment in Central Asia" (IBECA) program, supported by the U.S. Department of State. The first B5+1 forum took place on March 14-15, 2024, in Almaty and gathered more than 250 participants from Central Asia and the USA.
