Connecting Central Asia with the World.

"Eurasia, along with Africa, is the last big frontier of global integration for the 21st Century... Central Asia is centrally located in Eurasia. As a transit hub, as a source of energy and other minerals, and as a potential source of stability or conflict its role is key. At the same time, Eurasian economic integration represents a major opportunity for Central Asia, as it moves from being a land-locked region far from markets to one positioned at the core of a dynamic and rapidly connecting economic space with access to the major new markets and sources of finance, knowledge and power in the world," said Johannes F. Linn, Senior Economic Advisor to the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum, in his Background Paper "Connecting Central Asia with the World". This Background Paper was commissioned by the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum to provide background information on the Eurasia in general with a focus on Central Asia as well as to highlight the major issues recommended for discussion at the Inaugural Meeting that took place in Gerzensee, Switzerland on January 31-February 2. The given meeting addressed the pressing economic and social needs and concerns of the countries in the region. It sought to create an informal international network where leaders can come together and discuss common problems candidly in an individual capacity, and jointly search for solutions. "Such a network can expose leaders to different points of view beyond that which is possible in their traditional peer groups. This could result in better policies, faster economic growth and improved standard of living for the people in the region," said Harinder Kohli, Founding Director and Chief Executive of the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum. The participants of this discussion included Michel Camdessus, Former IMF Managing Director; Kim Campbell, Former Prime Minister of Canada; Haruhiko Kuroda, Asian Development Bank President; Johannes F. Linn, Senior Economic Adviser to the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum, Special Adviser to the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program; Joomart Otorbaev, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan; Jean-Pierre Roth, Chairman of the Governing Board of Swiss National Bank; Harinder Kohli, Founding Director and Chief Executive of the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum; Sheri Rosenow, Counsellor of WTO Trade Facilitation Division; officials and experts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan. The Emerging Markets Forum is a not-for-profit venture of the Centennial Group, a Washington based strategic advisory firm specializing in emerging market economies. The co-Chairmen of the Forum are Michel Camdessus (France), former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Haruhiko Kuroda, President of the Asian Development Bank, and Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines. The Forum was created to allow senior political and corporate leaders and public servants to reach actionable conclusions on economic, political and social issues facing emerging market countries. To read the full text of the Background Paper, please click here

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