The EU needs to deepen cooperation with Central Asia, Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy said. In his opinion, it is necessary to use the potential of the region in energy supplies, import of critical raw materials and in new transport corridors bypassing Russia, Podrobno.uz reports.
Russia and China continue to play a leading role in Central Asia, Borrell said. At the same time, the Central Asian countries are trying to diversify relations and see a suitable partner in the EU.
“As the EU, we obviously have an interest in taking advantage of these changes. We must deepen ties with the region, use its huge potential, which is represented in energy supplies, supplies of critical raw materials and new transport corridors that are not dependent on Russia,” Borrell wrote in his blog after a trip to Central Asia.
He noted that it was about the Trans-Caspian corridor, the development of which was discussed during his visit to Kazakhstan.
“The EBRD is working on a feasibility study for this corridor and on debottlenecking. Both in terms of equipment, such as railways, which lack interoperability due to different gauges, and in terms of lack of logistics capacity on ships and in ports, as well as in terms of software, such as customs procedures. There are certainly real obstacles, but equally there is a shared commitment and strategic interest in overcoming these obstacles, including through the support of the EU, EBRD and EIB,” he said.
In addition, Borrell stressed that Europe and Central Asia sees the need to promote strategic autonomy.
“We in Europe, like our partners in Central Asia, see the need to advance our strategic autonomy. So that we can all freely choose how and with whom to communicate. Having connections and opportunities is good. But overdependence and lack of choice can be costly, as we have learned the hard way with energy and Russia,” he stressed.
Earlier, Josep Borrell, during a visit to Central Asia, said that the EU leads in terms of investment in the countries of the region and is ahead of Russia and China in this indicator. The EU countries have invested 105 billion euros in the states of Central Asia over the past 10 years.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
November 21, 2022