European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Uzbekistan on April 3-4 to attend the first EU-Central Asia summit, the press service of the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan reported
The summit will be chaired by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the participation of the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The city of Samarkand was previously chosen as the venue.
It was previously reported that the summit was to be held in 2024, but was postponed to 2025 due to the fact that last year the EU was forming a new government.
“The summit will be a key opportunity for the European Union to demonstrate its geopolitical interest in deepening bilateral cooperation and expanding regional cooperation with Central Asia.
In a changing geopolitical landscape marked by Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and ongoing developments in Afghanistan, EU-Central Asian relations are increasingly of strategic importance," the statement said.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 13, 2025