Samarkand hosts EU-Central Asia leaders’ summit in April

The President of the European Council, António Costa, along with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, will be travelling to Uzbekistan for the first-ever EU-Central Asia summit in April.

During the two-day summit in Samarkand, the EU will affirm its commitment to scale up cooperation in areas of mutual interests, which include transport and digital connectivity in the region and with the EU, critical raw materials, economic and security cooperation, and energy transition.

The summit will be hosted by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with the participation of the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

“We are living in a world of disorder and fragmentation where the only viable solution for the EU is to build stronger partnerships to advance peace and prosperity. It is a multipolar world that requires greater and tailored engagement. The very first EU-Central Asia summit will solidify our commitment to work together for peace, security, and sustainable development, in full respect of international law,” - said António Costa, President of the European Council.

The summit will present a key opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its geopolitical interest in intensifying bilateral engagement and enhance regional cooperation with Central Asia. Given the evolving geopolitical landscape, marked by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and ongoing developments in Afghanistan, relations between the EU and Central Asia have become of increased strategic importance over the years.

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