The High Representative of the Union, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan all expressed their willingness on Monday 22 November to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Central Asia, at the occasion of the 17th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting.
Cooperation should include a green and sustainable post-Covid-19 recovery and look at the challenges of the situation in Afghanistan, including humanitarian and migration issues.
In their joint declaration, the participants also emphasised the need to deepen cooperation on sustainable connectivity in the fields of trade, transport, energy, digital and interpersonal contact. Security and management of borders, as well as education, vocational training and skills development are other areas in which both sides want to strengthen their cooperation.
The participants reaffirmed their “joint desire to forge a strong, ambitious and forward-looking partnership” that is based on their shared values and mutual interests. They also added that it was important to ensure progress is made on the rule of law, democracy, governance, gender equality and universal human rights. The EU has suggested exploring the possibility of establishing a regional dialogue on the effective implementation of international labour standards.
The EU also announced that it was starting preparations for two Team Europe regional initiatives, one looking at digital connectivity and the other at water, energy and climate.
Furthermore, in 2022, Uzbekistan is expected to host an ‘EU-Central Asia Tourism Forum’ and a high-level EU-Central Asia Ministerial Conference on connectivity. Tajikistan, meanwhile, is expected to host a conference about water in June.
See the joint statement: https://bit.ly/3CHFxXc (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)