The upcoming conference will be crucial for the success of Russia’s Greater Eurasian PartnershipUzbekistan plans to host a conference this summer titled “Central And South Asia: Regional Interconnectedness. Regardless of whatever term is ultimately used, it’s clear that this initiative will likely be the centre of discussions during this summer’s connectivity conference in Uzbekistan. The stalled Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline shows that there’s nevertheless some degree of interest, however insincere it may be, on New Delhi’s side to rely on Islamabad for regional connectivity whenever their interests align. Looking forward, the most likely prediction is that N-CPEC+ will be rebranded under a compromise term as Russia and Pakistan take this project to its next level after this summer’s Central Asia-South Asia connectivity conference in Uzbekistan. In any case, the upcoming conference will be crucial for the success of Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership and the evolving geostrategic significance of the supercontinent’s Heartland region.

Source: The Express Tribune March 08, 2021 09:56 UTC