Sayfullo Safarov

(Deputy Director, Institute of the Tajikistan President Strategy Research)

Author

Sayfullo Safarov was born on November 12, 1953 in Tajikistan. He is Associate PhD in philosophy, Deputy Director of the Institute of the Tajikistan President Strategy Research, and Professor at the Teaching and Research Office of International Relations, Tajik State National University, and Professor at the Teaching and Research Office of International Relations, Russian-Tajik Slavonic University, Director and Part-time Professor of the Teaching and Research Office of Social Sciences and Humanities, Tajik National Conservatory. He serves as Editor-in-chief for the newspaper Asia Peace, and Associate Editor-in-chief for the Strategy Research Center journal Tajikistan and the Contemporary World. He has published two monographs and more than 100 academic articles.

Abstract

The common interests of areas along the Silk Road are an important factor for common development. Some people in Tajikistan considered the Silk Road Economic Belt as a very broad geographic and geopolitical concept. It’s old and brand new. The present potential of this area is far from that in the history. However, its powerful modernized infrastructure and potentials of the production, transportation, technology and talents are comparable to some central European countries. The economic belt of the Silk Road covers a broad range, in which countries have positive factors and as well as obvious interest conflicts from different developing levels. It’s the contradiction that gave rise to a series of problems in the field of social economic development. However, it should be pointed out that the common development will make us turn to be partners from competitors. Countries with contradictions can also have much closer common interests. Among them, there are at least three to four countries located in the center of Eurasia continent, which can jointly make efforts to maintain the basis of the common development. From this perspective, the common interests should be above the contradiction that was formed for the different developing paces of different countries. These common interests, especially in the aspect of national security, are significant reflected in the relations among China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For instance, the question of national security is similar for these countries. All the threats, new or traditional, will produce the same effect on their political systems. However, the lack of recognition of the common interests is a serious challenge at present. A typical example is the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.