Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries to strengthen regional growth and position Central Asia on the global stage.

A lot has changed since the Silk Road, yet Central Asia is now an autonomous, booming trading region, while having preserved its identity.

Kazakhstan, the largest economy in the area, with its growing infrastructure and multi-vector policy, is an attractive partner for global economies and an integral part of Central Asia.

Efforts to improve trade relations with regional cooperation have been a long-standing focus. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have already facilitated economic cooperation, removing trade barriers to speed up transit. And that is an opportunity for everybody.

The Caspian, a territorial landmark or the world's largest energy market, is home to modern trade routes and railways connecting the region to Europe, East Asia, and other parts.

Today, the Middle Corridor, or TITR, that passes through the region connects western China and Europe, and Kazakhstan is a driving force in improving Eurasian trade through it, with freight transportation volumes surging 63% to 4.1 million tons and container shipments seeing a 2.6-fold increase to 50,500 TEU last year.

National programmes for the development of roads, railways, and digital infrastructure are to improve the connectivity of regional trade. The expansion of the Khorgos International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation, located on the Kazakhstan-China border, is also an example of this new way of doing things right.

We also see regional cooperation in the field of green economy, such as the "green power plan" initiative mentioned during the Astana meeting last year, which involves Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in solar and wind-generated electricity.

Central Asia has risen to global prominence, attracted interest from major European and Asian markets, and firmly held its autonomy. In the future, I expect we will see further cooperation and new organizational initiatives, such as the 'C5+' format.

According to the EBRD forecasts, regional growth is set to accelerate to 5.9 percent in 2025, yet Kazakhstan's economic growth will likely accelerate to 5.5 percent, supported by oil production or export growth.

As an investor, I expect to see more growth in Central Asia - and a greater importance in all things industry and trade, in the years to come.