The European Union and the five Central Asian countries reaffirmed their strong political commitment to strengthening engagement and deepening cooperation during the 20th EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting, chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on March 27 in Ashgabat. The Foreign Ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Deputy Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan participated in the meeting, the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan reported.
The Ministerial meeting was an opportunity to assess the implementation of the five key areas of the EU-Central Asia Roadmap for Deepening Ties, endorsed in October 2023.
The EU and Central Asian Ministers discussed issues of mutual strategic interest, including cooperation under the EU’s Global Gateway Flagship Initiatives in Central Asia in areas such as trade, transport, water resource management, energy, climate change, digitalisation and critical raw materials. Both sides committed to advancing cooperation on people-to-people contacts, including on education, vocational training, research and skills development.
Participants reaffirmed the EU’s and Central Asian countries’ determination to uphold the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of international law, particularly the respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States. Both sides stressed the urgency of reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and committed to continuing close cooperation on addressing sanctions circumvention.
The importance of deeper cooperation in addressing common security challenges, including the fight against organised crime, violent extremism, radicalisation, and regional security concerns such as developments in Afghanistan were also discussed. Preparations for the first ever EU-Central Asia Summit, to be held on 4 April 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, were also addressed. The Summit will confirm the political resolve for closer strategic cooperation between the two regions at the highest political level.
Kazakh Foreign Ministry photo
