In Bishkek, a two-day business forum B5+1 has started, gathering representatives from the business communities and government institutions of Central Asian countries and the USA. This event aims to demonstrate the significance of the private sector in reforming economic policy and strengthening cooperation between the United States and Central Asia.
The forum focuses on the progress made on 21 recommendations put forward at the first B5+1, which took place in Almaty in 2024, as well as on defining new priorities for deepening regional integration and interaction between the public and private sectors.
The agenda for the 2026 forum highlights the following key sectors:
- agriculture;
- financial services and banking;
- strategic mineral resources;
- information technology and e-commerce;
- logistics and transportation;
- tourism.
The B5+1 forum is a logical continuation of the recent C5+1 summit, marking its tenth anniversary. Following the summit, the USA and the governments of the five Central Asian countries issued a joint statement recognizing B5+1 as "an important business alternative to the diplomatic platform C5+1." This underscores the growing importance of the private sector in regional economic cooperation and enhances the role of the Bishkek forum.
The main goal of the forum is to create a sustainable B5+1 platform that will complement the C5+1 framework, facilitating economic reforms, investments, and strengthening ties between the private sector and the governments of Central Asian countries and the USA.
Additional information: The B5+1 platform serves as a business analogy to 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, with the support of the U.S. Department of State. The first B5+1 forum was held from March 14 to 15, 2024, in Almaty, gathering over 250 participants from Central Asian countries and the USA.
