The Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM) presents its interview with Dr. Sergei Begliarov, Founder and Managing Partner of SNB Group USA, on the significance of the B5+1 Forum for U.S.–Central Asia economic relations and regional economic integration.
1. On October 7, 2026, preparations were launched for the third B5+1 Forum, scheduled to take place in Dushanbe in April 2027. In your opinion, what significance could this initiative have for strengthening economic cooperation between the United States and Central Asian countries?
Central Asia has never lacked summits. In “Five Presidents, Five Corridors”, I argue that eight years of regional summitry produced a durable political ritual but very little joint transport policy. That is precisely the gap the B5+1 can close. It is the private-sector counterpart to the C5+1, and it gives businesses a structured way to tell governments what actually blocks a deal. Its record is already concrete. The 2024 Almaty forum produced 21 policy recommendations, several of which led to real reforms, and the February 2026 Bishkek forum brought more than 50 American companies into the conversation.
Dushanbe matters because Tajikistan is the market U.S. investors most often overlook, despite its hydropower, mineral, and transit potential. Rotating the forum through every capital reinforces the idea that the region is strongest when investors see it as one space, not five. As I wrote in “Not a Side, a Second Option: What America Wants in the Eurasian Middle”, the United States is most credible here when it offers the region an additional option rather than asking it to choose. The test for Dushanbe will be follow-through: measurable progress on earlier recommendations, not simply a new list.
2. From your experience working with American businesses entering Central Asian markets, what factors are particularly important for turning investment opportunities into sustainable commercial partnerships?
The opportunity is real, and the gap is striking. In “The Best Argument for Central Asia Is How Small the Number Still Is”, I note that U.S. goods exports to Uzbekistan were only $474 million last year. In “The Silent Front”, I examine why American small and mid-sized businesses are losing ground in the region, and in “Uzbekistan Isn’t a “Hot Market.” It’s a Discipline Test”, I explain why opportunity is rarely the problem. Execution is.
Four factors make the difference. The first is choosing the right local partner after genuine due diligence on ownership, relationships, and market reach, not after one good meeting. The second is compliance readiness, including certification, customs, currency rules, and U.S. export controls, addressed before the first shipment. The third is physical presence. Relationships in this region are built face to face, which is why I am leading a vetted delegation of U.S. company leaders to Automechanika Tashkent on October 21–23. The fourth is local value creation through training, service capacity, or assembly, because governments across the region rightly want skills and technology, not just imports. I explore the SME side of this in “Uzbekistan Is Building Its SME Engine. Will U.S. Small Business Show Up?”
3. Looking ahead, how do you think the B5+1 framework could contribute to greater regional economic integration and the expansion of US private-sector engagement in Central Asia?
In “35 Years of Sovereignty. The Next Era Is Connectivity.”, I argue that Uzbekistan’s sovereignty question is settled and that its next chapter will be defined by systems: trade, energy, water, digital, and human connectivity. Integration happens in practical layers. Harmonized standards, faster border crossings, and coordinated customs will do more to attract American capital than any single incentive.
This is also where Türkiye’s neighborhood comes in. In “The Middle Corridor Enters Its Engineering Decade” and “Eurasia’s Emerging Economic Community: Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and the American Connection”, I look at how the trans-Caspian route is moving from concept to infrastructure. If the B5+1 stays focused on implementation, it can give U.S. companies a transparent, rules-based way to compete on quality, technology, and long-term commitment along that route, and become one of the most practical tools for expanding American private-sector engagement in the region.
For broader context on the people behind these markets, you may also enjoy my series “Uzbekistan in Many Voices.” Two episodes connect closely with Türkiye’s own history: “Crimean Tatars: Exile Was Not Home” and “Tatars: The Muslim Modernizers.”
