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The Creation of the C5+1
When Foreign Secretary under Obama, John Kerry, met with the foreign ministers
of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan at the C5+1
Summit in Samarkand in 2015, it was decided new partnerships needed to be forged
between the region and the United States. This was the most overt attempt made to
reinforce the US’ influence in the region during Obama’s tenure in office. At a time
of intense geopolitical rivalry in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the new
venture was hailed as a success with a view to parties joining forces to tackle “political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian issues, as well as international and
regional problems.” The outcome of the meeting was a decision to continue to meet
to format political dialog (www.evrensel.net 2015). According to C5+1 Fact Sheet
which was released by the website of the US Secretary of state which updated by 22
September 2017, C5+1 project contains:
The C5+1 Counter-Terrorism project—under the auspices of the U.S. Institute of Peace—
will convene policymakers and experts to promote best practices and regional approaches
to counter terrorism and foreign terrorist flows. An initial security working group meeting
was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on July 26 and reached broad consensus on a path forward
on projects to address countering violent extremism and radicalization, and
counter-messaging.
The C5+1 Central Asia Business Competitiveness project through USAID is facilitating
private sector development of the internal Central Asian market, with an initial focus on the
horticulture sector.
The C5+1 Transport Corridor Development project implemented by USAID will
increase the competitiveness of Central Asian economies by improving their transport and
logistics sectors.
The C5+1 Power the Future project through USAID is supporting the transition to,
adoption, and scale-up of low emission and advanced energy solutions.
The C5+1 Supporting National and Regional Adaptation Planning project under USAID
supports the development of national adaptation plans that identify environment risks and
prioritize actions. (www.state.gov 2017a, b)
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Idrisov stated that the new partnership aimed to
turn competition into mutually beneficial cooperation, declaring progress having
been made in allowing for American financial and commercial institutions’ access
to the region in the name of developing the economy and improving living standards. Furthermore, discussions at the summit touched on regional economic integration, the management of water resources, energy supply routes, border security,
and ensuring the safety of areas bordering Afghanistan (www.evrensel.net 2015). A
second summit of C5+1 foreign minister was held in Washington on August 2016,
which concluded with Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Daniel
Rosenblum, announcing agreement on three specific areas:
First, the economy and specifically how to connect Central Asia economically to a
broader region and to the US… Second, the environment, with a special focus on how to
deal with the impact of climate change. And third, security, with a special emphasis on
the threat of terrorism and also the question of stability in Afghanistan. (www.thediplomat.com 2017a, b)
Obama, Central Asia, and Caspian Sea Region
The Creation of the C5+1
When Foreign Secretary under Obama, John Kerry, met with the foreign ministers
of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan at the C5+1
Summit in Samarkand in 2015, it was decided new partnerships needed to be forged
between the region and the United States. This was the most overt attempt made to
reinforce the US’ influence in the region during Obama’s tenure in office. At a time
of intense geopolitical rivalry in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the new
venture was hailed as a success with a view to parties joining forces to tackle “political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian issues, as well as international and
regional problems.” The outcome of the meeting was a decision to continue to meet
to format political dialog (www.evrensel.net 2015). According to C5+1 Fact Sheet
which was released by the website of the US Secretary of state which updated by 22
September 2017, C5+1 project contains:
The C5+1 Counter-Terrorism project—under the auspices of the U.S. Institute of Peace—
will convene policymakers and experts to promote best practices and regional approaches
to counter terrorism and foreign terrorist flows. An initial security working group meeting
was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on July 26 and reached broad consensus on a path forward
on projects to address countering violent extremism and radicalization, and
counter-messaging.
The C5+1 Central Asia Business Competitiveness project through USAID is facilitating
private sector development of the internal Central Asian market, with an initial focus on the
horticulture sector.
The C5+1 Transport Corridor Development project implemented by USAID will
increase the competitiveness of Central Asian economies by improving their transport and
logistics sectors.
The C5+1 Power the Future project through USAID is supporting the transition to,
adoption, and scale-up of low emission and advanced energy solutions.
The C5+1 Supporting National and Regional Adaptation Planning project under USAID
supports the development of national adaptation plans that identify environment risks and
prioritize actions. (www.state.gov 2017a, b)
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Idrisov stated that the new partnership aimed to
turn competition into mutually beneficial cooperation, declaring progress having
been made in allowing for American financial and commercial institutions’ access
to the region in the name of developing the economy and improving living standards. Furthermore, discussions at the summit touched on regional economic integration, the management of water resources, energy supply routes, border security,
and ensuring the safety of areas bordering Afghanistan (www.evrensel.net 2015). A
second summit of C5+1 foreign minister was held in Washington on August 2016,
which concluded with Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Daniel
Rosenblum, announcing agreement on three specific areas:
First, the economy and specifically how to connect Central Asia economically to a
broader region and to the US… Second, the environment, with a special focus on how to
deal with the impact of climate change. And third, security, with a special emphasis on
the threat of terrorism and also the question of stability in Afghanistan. (www.thediplomat.com 2017a, b)
Obama, Central Asia, and Caspian Sea Region