Ashgabat will host the 20th ministerial meeting of representatives from the EU and Central Asia on March 4th. The meeting will focus on preparations for the first European Union - Central Asia Summit. The summit is scheduled for April 3-4, 2025 in Samarkand under the chairmanship of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with the participation of leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The European Union will be represented by the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU Delegation to Uzbekistan's press service noted that the event will be a key opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its geopolitical interest in deepening engagement with Central Asia. The EU is expected to reaffirm its commitment to expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including security, economy, transport, digital connectivity, energy, and strategic raw materials.

The upcoming summit is particularly important due to global geopolitical and macroeconomic instability, and it could serve to strengthen multifaceted cooperation between the EU and Central Asia. "We live in an era of chaos and fragmentation, where strengthening partnerships becomes the only possible path to peace and prosperity. In a multipolar world, more active and targeted engagement is needed. The first EU-Central Asia summit will confirm our commitment to working together for stability, security and sustainable development in full compliance with international law", said António Costa.

The EU's Central Asia strategy highlights the growing importance of the region for the European Union and is based on positive changes in inter-state cooperation in recent years. The main goal of the strategy is to build a strong, modern and inclusive partnership that promotes the development of the region as a sustainable, prosperous and interconnected economic and political space.

At a press conference on January 24, 2025, dedicated to the results of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the European Union in 2024 and prospects for joint activities in 2025, it was noted that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation with the EU.

The "Central Asia - European Union" cooperation format was highlighted as one of the important mechanisms for expanding partnership, within which programs and projects aimed at strengthening trade and economic ties, partnership in the field of transport, digitalization, ecology and energy, as well as in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, including education and healthcare, are being successfully implemented.

The importance of the Joint Roadmap to deepen ties between Central Asia and the EU was noted at the press conference. The roadmap covers key areas, including inter-regional political dialogue and cooperation, expansion of trade and economic ties, energy, a climate-neutral economy and addressing common security challenges.

ORIENT