Gulf States Offer Development Assistance in Central Asia as Western Donors Step Back
Guest Contributor
March 10, 2025
Recently, bilateral and multilateral relations have intensified between the five Central Asian republics and the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In addition to a surge in diplomatic visits and meetings at the state level, there are also signs of increasing GCC investment plans in Central Asia. This is accompanied by growing people-to-people and business contacts; operators report a rise in travel between the two regions, while experts highlight the GCC as a potential labour migration destination for Central Asian workers.
Against the backdrop of a seemingly encouraging overall picture, it is also important to consider development assistance. In Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan are upper middle-income countries, with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan being lower middle-income countries. The latter three Central Asian republics receive development assistance to a larger extent, while Kazakhstan has started developing its own development agency. Nonetheless, all five countries remain assistance recipients.
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Photo: Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan
