Shakhboz Akhmedov, Head of the Centre for Sustainable Development at IAIS, took part in the Inaugural Turkic–Western Geopolitical Dialogue, held in Budapest on 8–9 December, contributing to high-level discussions on Central Asia’s strategic role in the clean energy transition and the global competition for critical minerals. Hosted under the Turkic–Western Engagement Initiative of the Danube Institute, the dialogue convened policymakers, experts, and scholars to explore the evolving place of the Turkic world in global politics, economics, and connectivity.

Mr Akhmedov participated as a speaker in the session dedicated to shaping an EU–Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) partnership framework, offering a Central Asian sustainable development perspective. In his remarks, he emphasised that Central Asian countries should better coordinate their positions, define shared priorities, and ensure that emerging partnerships deliver value addition, industrialisation, and quality job creation within the region, rather than limiting cooperation to the export of raw materials.

Across the dialogue, participants underscored that Central Asia’s reserves of uranium, copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are increasingly relevant to clean energy technologies and high-tech supply chains. At the same time, discussions stressed that unlocking this potential requires addressing gaps in geological data, modernising infrastructure, and embedding strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards to manage risks related to water use, tailings safety, land degradation, and community well-being.