The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met with the Heads of State or representatives of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) in Astana on Thursday 27 October for a first meeting at this political level between the EU and the region.
The leaders reaffirmed “their commitment to work together for peace, security, democracy, Rule of law and sustainable development”. They also expressed their common concern about the situation in Afghanistan, which they believe needs more humanitarian aid.
The relationship between the two blocs has great economic potential, according to the participants of the meeting. They reaffirmed their commitment to build “a strong diversified and forward-looking partnership underpinned by shared values and mutual interests”.
The topics of connectivity, sustainable development and the preservation of security in the region also formed part of the discussions.
In the margins of this meeting, Charles Michel also met with the Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to discuss the EU/Kazakhstan bilateral partnership in particular (see other news).
The EU is seeking to strengthen its relations with the region, which also hosted the Chinese and Russian leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in September in Uzbekistan. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)