Today, 4 April, there is a first EU-Central Asia Summit being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Ursula von der Leyen (European CommissionPresident), António Costa (President of the European Council) are among its participants, along with leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and officials from key financial institutions.
The EU leaders and Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan President) discussed various potential cooperation projects on climate and economy. They also plan to sign an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement later this year.
Sherzod Asadov, the press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan, stated that “the sites agreed to promote joint programs and cooperation projects in the fields of innovation, green energy, mining, agriculture, transport, logistics, digitalization and other areas”.
One of the most important outcomes of the negotiations was the discussion of an agreement to open a regional office of the European Investment Bank in Tashkent. It is perceived as a step to place Uzbekistan as an International Financial partner.
The EU and the Central Asian states (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) reached agreement on the joint declaration, indicating the intention to strategic cooperation.
