The 17th EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting — Turning Challenges into Opportunities took place in Dushanbe (Tajikistan). The Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic reports.
The High Representative/Vice-President of the EU Josep Borrell, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen and the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan took part in the meeting.
In a joint press statement participants confirmed their commitment to strengthen EU-Central Asia cooperation to support a green and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery and to work together to tackle some of the challenges emerging from developments in Afghanistan.
«The EU has high stakes in seeing Central Asia develop as a more resilient, prosperous and more closely interconnected economic and political space. The EU and Central Asia share a strong commitment to intensify cooperation to build back better following COVID-19. We also want to step up joint efforts to manage some of the common challenges stemming from the situation in Afghanistan. The EU can make a strong contribution to the future of the region if Central Asian states show determination in their commitment to reform and democracy,» Josep Borrell said.
Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen stressed that the partnership between the EU and Central Asia builds a joint path to a green, resilient, inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery. The countries want to strengthen cooperation on climate, connectivity, trade and investment, energy, and security.
«We will engage with civil society and the youth, to develop a closer partnership,» she said.
During the Ministerial meeting, the EU informed of its priorities for regional cooperation, in line with the 2019 EU Strategy on Central Asia: promoting resilience, prosperity and regional cooperation. New initiatives were proposed, including a new inter-regional dialogue on international labour standards. The EU and Central Asia look forward to organizing in the course of 2022 a High-level Conference on Connectivity.
