Participation in the German Higher Education and Science Forum on Central Asia in the “С5+1” Format

From 23 to 25 February 2026, the German Higher Education and Science Forum on Central Asia was held in Halle (Saale) at the headquarters of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, within the framework of the strategic regional partnership between Central Asia and Germany in the С5+1 format.

The Forum was organized with the support of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and on the initiative of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Central Asian Sustainable Innovation Bureau (CASIB). The objective of the event was to facilitate an exchange of views on current developments, challenges and prospects of scientific and research policy cooperation between Central Asia and Germany.

At the opening of the Forum, the Rector of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Professor Dr. Claudia Becker, delivered remarks highlighting the importance of strengthening interregional cooperation in science and education.

On the opening day of the Forum, 23 February, a high-level plenary session entitled “German–Central Asian Research Policy Cooperation in the С5+1 Format” was held, during which Dr. Marcus Pleyer, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, as well as the Ambassadors of the Central Asian states, delivered statements.

In his remarks, the Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Federal Republic of Germany, Imomudin Sattorov, emphasized the importance of scientific and research cooperation for sustainable development and expressed Tajikistan’s readiness to further strengthen relations with German research institutions and higher education establishments in the fields of joint research projects and academic mobility.

On the margins of the Forum, the Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Science, Research and Innovation under the С5+1 Process was signed between the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the relevant line ministries of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Photos: BMFTR/ Markus Scholz