The eleventh round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on June 5.
The meeting was held at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five Central Asian countries and chaired by Mr Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the European External Action Service.
The High-Level Political and Security Dialogue meeting provided an opportunity to discuss common security challenges. The EU reiterated its strong commitment to deepening cooperation with the region, which continues to be confronted with the repercussions of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the negative developments in Afghanistan, as well as the situation in the Middle East. All participants agreed that the current turbulent geopolitical situation bears significant impact on the security, stability and economic development of both regions, the European External Action Service reported.
The EU reaffirmed its willingness to support all efforts aiming to intensify EU cooperation on security with Central Asia, notably in thematic areas such as management of water-related challenges, energy and climate change and on connectivity. Central Asian partners expressed their appreciation for the EU’s support through regional programmes in the areas of border management, law enforcement and countering drug trafficking.
Participants exchanged views and discussed progress on regional cooperation on a number of key issues, including counter-terrorism and violent extremism, drug trafficking and border management, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in these areas. Cybersecurity and countering hybrid threats also featured in the exchanges, with participants identifying disinformation and proliferation of extremist and radical content online as pressing challenges.
The High-Level Political and Security Dialogue takes place in the context of increased engagement between Central Asia and the European Union. Two region-to-region meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the President of the European Council took place on 27 October 2022 and 2 June 2023. Furthermore, at the EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting that took place in the presence of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on 23 October 2023, the parties adopted a Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia, which outlines concrete actions for strengthening cooperation, among others, in the area of security. At the Ministerial meeting, both sides also committed to hold the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit in 2024.
