EU-Central Asia: 19th Ministerial meeting held in Luxembourg on 23 October 2023

The European Union and countries of Central Asia are determined to continue their strategic partnership by strengthening engagement and deepening  the cooperation and connection between both regions. This was confirmed in the 19^th  EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting chaired by  the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell on Monday in Luxembourg. The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting, together - for the first time - with the 27 EU Member States’ Foreign Ministers. The Commission was represented by the Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.

For the EU, the Ministerial meeting was an opportunity to highlight its strong commitment to the region and stress the importance of deeper cooperation in the context of the challenges emerging from regional dynamics, with a focus on the fall-out of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.

During the Ministerial meeting, participants discussed how to advance inter-regional cooperation on common security challenges, connectivity, economic and trade, environment, water and climate, education, science and innovation issues, and people-to-people contacts, promoting deeper ties between the EU and Central Asia.

HRVP Borrell said: “Relations between the EU and our partners in Central Asia continue to intensify year-on-year. Today’s meeting, endorsing the Joint Roadmap, marks a new level of cooperation between our regions based on shared values and mutual interest. We stand ready to offer continued support to our Central Asian partners’ reforms. For our part, we will continue to work closely with our Central Asian partners to address the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as other regional and global challenges. When we act together, we can achieve more and make a meaningful contribution to stability, security and prosperity in Europe, Central Asia and beyond.”

European Commissioner for International Partnerships Urpilainen said: “A regional vision of sustainable connectivity is of crucial importance for the EU and Central Asia. The EU’s Global Gateway strategy offers the framework for exchanges and concrete action in this area. Together with the Global Gateway Forum held on 25-26 October, this Ministerial paves way for further deepening our ongoing work on the green transition, digital and transport connectivity. The next step will be the EU-Central Asia Investment Forum at the end of January which will bring together EU and Central Asian states, our key partners, International Financing Institutions and the private sector to mobilise the necessary finance to develop the Trans-Caspian transport corridor.”

Participants reaffirmed the EU’s and Central Asian countries’ determination to uphold the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of international law, particularly respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States. The EU stressed the need to cooperate effectively on preventing circumvention of EU sanctions against Russia through Central Asian territories.

The Ministers endorsed the jointly prepared EU-Central Asia Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia, as proposed by the President of the European Council and the Presidents of the Central Asian States at their meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan on 2 June this year.

The EU and Central Asia look forward to holding the EU-Central Asia Investment Forum on sustainable transport corridors connecting Europe and Central Asia on 29-30 January 2024 in Brussels. The Forum will bring together high-level representatives from the EU and Central Asian states, International Financing Institutions and the private sector. It will aim to enhance and reinforce transport connectivity between the two regions, building on the findings of the 2023 EU-EBRD Study on Sustainable Transport Connections between Europe and Central Asia.

Finally, Ministers looked forward to the first ever EU-Central Asia Summit, during the first half of 2024 in Uzbekistan.

Background

In 2019, the EU adopted a new Strategy on Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), which highlights the growing strategic relevance of the region for EU interests. The EU has significant stakes in Central Asia, given the strategic geographical location and pivotal role of the region in Europe-Asia connectivity, its vast energy resources (Kazakhstan is the EU’s fourth supplier of crude oil), significant market potential (76 million inhabitants, 35% of whom are under the age of 15), and our interest in regional security and migration, in particular in the light of the fall-out of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.