To commemorate 30 years of formal diplomatic relations, the European Union and the countries of Central Asia have signed a new strategic partnership agreement. This came at the conclusion of the first EU-Central Asia summit ever hosted in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. António Costa, president of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, along with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened for two days of talks during the conference. The meeting was arranged in international geopolitical and economic turmoil, after United States President Donald Trump introduced new tariffs on global trade by tariffing several countries, including EU member states and the United Kingdom.
Perception of Power in International Affairs: Focus on Multilateral Cooperation and Common Security Challenges
In a statement to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, António Costa said it was crucial to work internationally. “In today’s international context, you cannot overstate the importance of a functioning, rules-based multilateral order,” he said. “Our meeting today further enshrines a European Union Central Asia cooperation in multilateral fora, and thus consolidates our shared commitment to a peaceful world, a prosperous global order.” Mr. Costa also addressed mutual security threats, expressing concern about some of the same threats facing the region — notably terrorism, violent extremism, and drug trafficking — that could prove disastrous for both Central Asia and Europe.
Central Asia’s Closer Ties with the West: Prospects for the EU
Ursula von der Leyen, had outlined the prospect of closer cooperation in both regions. “What your strategic location enables is to open global trade routes and the flow of investments,” she said. And these new investments will enhance sovereignty. They will strengthen your economies. And finally, they will make new friends.” She added that she felt the upgraded partnership created new opportunities in areas like energy, tourism, trade and transport. To that end, she announced an investment package worth €12 billion for the region. “This will aggregate investments from the European Union and from Member States. We refer to it as a Team Europe approach. And it will create a new pipeline of projects for Central Asia. This is indeed a new era of our ancient friendship,” she said.
Investment Patch Areas and Materials of Strategic Importance
A new package of investments targets development across several key sectors. There’s also investment by EU in Central Asia to the tune of €3 billion for transport infrastructure, €2.5 billion for critical raw materials developments and €6.4 billion for water, energy and climate projects. Investments in digital connectivity by EU in Central Asia are also planned and some of the projects have already been approved and funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The availability of clean energy sources and critical raw materials is crucial for the EU in achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and strengthening its autonomy in strategically important sectors. Central Asia has massive deposits of many of the world’s critical raw materials, with a significant portion of global manganese ore, chromium, lead, zinc, and titanium coming from the region. The European Commission president, Ms. von der Leyen, stressed the importance of such resources to the future global economy, telling Central Asian leaders: “Those raw materials are the lifeline of the future global economy. But they also represent a honeypot for global players. Lots simply want to pillage and siphon. Europe’s offer is different. We want to become partners with you to grow your local industries. Does the added value have to be local. We have great track record, track record for success.”
The Ukraine Crisis and the Future of Multilateralism
António Costa in particular referred to the importance of defence of the “rules based multilateral order”. “We need to come together not only to defend multilateralism but to reform it so that it is more effective, more inclusive and better adapted to the realities of the present day,” he insisted. Stressing the increasingly transnational nature of security challenges and the need for enhanced cooperation in that regard through bilateral, regional and multilateral means, the President of the European Council said there is particularly “an obvious need” for such cooperation given the “total invasion” of Ukraine by Russia, which he described as violating both the Charter and international law. The five Central Asian states have also maintained neutrality and abstained on UN votes related to Russia’s actions against Ukraine, obtaining some economic benefit by re-exporting the Western goods sold to them under sanctions to Russia. ‘So far, we have imposed 16 packages of sanctions on Russia, we have appointed a Special Envoy for sanctions circumvention, who has visited the region several times. EU officials, who discussed the subject on condition of anonymity before the summit, pointed to a “willingness to cooperate” from Central Asian nations on sanctions, but said they needed to do “more” with the US and Russia negotiating with limited European participation. But this source said that more progress on this issue is “an important element in order to advance our relations” but not a condition for a broader cooperation. Mr. Costa then launched into uncharted waters, hinting obliquely at sanctions circumvention in his remarks to the plenary that Europe would “continue to increase pressure where necessary” on Russia, next to which Central Asia’s “cooperation is invaluable,” before adding, “Your continued efforts in this regard, we count on.” Uzbekistan’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, noted his country’s “appreciation of the principled position of the European side on the commitment to the principles and norms of international law” and said his nation “welcome[d] and fully support[ed] the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine.” It also concluded with a commitment to hold an Investors Forum later this year, which is aimed at bringing in more funds including for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, which will sharply cut the amount of time it takes to send goods between the respective regions without going through Russia. It also supported plans for opening an EBRD office in Uzbekistan and endorsed the proposal to hold similar summits every two years.
