The European Union and the countries of Central Asia pledged to continue the strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation, says the joint communiqué adopted following the 19th ministerial meeting in the EU-Central Asia format, which took place on October 23 in Luxembourg, Gazeta.uz reports.
At the meeting, the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan met with representatives of all 27 EU countries simultaneously for the first time.
“Today’s meeting... marks a new level of cooperation between our regions based on common values and mutual interests. We are ready to offer further support for the reforms of our Central Asian partners,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
He added that the European Union will continue to “work closely” with Central Asian countries to “cope with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as other regional and global problems.”
Ministers approved the Joint Roadmap to deepen ties between the EU and Central Asia. It covers key areas including interregional political dialogue and cooperation, expanding trade and economic ties, energy, climate-neutral economics and addressing common security challenges.
The European Union, as stated in the statement, informed the meeting participants about the 11th package of restrictive measures against Russia and noted “the importance of result-oriented dialogue and cooperation in the context of the EU sanctions regimes.”
“The EU emphasized the importance of preventing sanctions circumvention, and the participants agreed to continue cooperation in this direction,” the document says.
The ministers also “expressed their commitment” to upholding the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law: respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. “They emphasized that respect for international humanitarian law and peaceful resolution of conflicts without the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons are necessary,” the communiqué noted.
Participants discussed the “importance of guaranteeing” freedom of the media and expression, as well as the need to protect against disinformation and hate speech, the document said.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included promoting interregional cooperation in Central Asia to solve climate, water, energy and environmental problems, Central Asia's partnership with the EU in the field of education and the situation in Afghanistan.
The ministers agreed to meet again in 2024 in Turkmenistan. The first EU-Central Asia summit is also scheduled to be held in Uzbekistan in the second quarter of next year.
Before this, on January 29-30, 2024, the EU-Central Asia Investment Forum will be held in Brussels with the participation of public and private investors who are interested in “developing sustainable transport links” between the two regions.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
October 24, 2023