43Received 12.03.2024. Revised 22.04.2024. Accepted 25.04.2024.
Abstract. The principal investigative goal of the present research is aimed at revealing the parameters and main directions of political and economic interaction between the Arabian monarchies and post-Soviet Central Asia (CA). The analysis takes into account the cardinal changes in the world system, where the formation of a polycentric world order is in full swing against the background of rejection of the monopolar model of world development. The place of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf in this order is determined by their increased foreign policy ambitions, supported by super-profits from the sale of oil and gas. The article also addresses an important issue of perception of the wealthy Arabian monarchies and their regional association, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Central Asia as a rather attractive foreign policy alternative. The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are currently intensifying their interaction with the Central Asian region, which offers them considerable opportunities in political, trade, and economic spheres. The interest of the Arabian monarchies, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in Central Asia is also in line with their intentions to establish themselves as an independent geopolitical center. In turn, Central Asian countries hope to accelerate their economic modernization with the help of Arab investment and to broaden the horizons of international cooperation through interaction with the GCC. The Central Asian countries also do not give up hopes for the inflow of Arab investments, which are so essential to their development. In the context of growing geopolitical turbulence and a competitive environment, post-Soviet Central Asia opens up new horizons of international cooperation.
Keywords: Central Asia, Arabian monarchies, Gulf Cooperation Council, investment, geopolitics
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