The second B5+1 business forum is being held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, bringing together representatives of the governments of five Central Asian countries, international organisations, chambers of commerce and industry, business associations and experts. The forum is organised with financial support from the US State Department’s Initiative for Business Environment Improvement in Central Asia (IBECA) in conjunction with the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers and the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) at the US Chamber of Commerce.
The forum continues the business platform established in September 2023 at the summit of leaders of the United States and Central Asian countries in New York and is a practical complement to the C5+1 diplomatic format. Unlike the first forum in Almaty in 2024, the current meeting focuses on turning abstract agreements into concrete initiatives and expanding private sector participation in project implementation.
The regional economy of Central Asia is characterised by a combination of several factors that increase its attractiveness to international business. First, it has a significant domestic market of more than 80 million consumers, combined with a young demographic profile and growing urbanisation. Second, the strategic geographical location makes the countries of the region a hub for the transit of goods and resources between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
