A summit between the European Union and five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan—concluded in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday. The meeting aimed to enhance EU engagement in the region, competing with the influence of China, the United States, and Russia.
The EU seeks to foster a transport corridor from Central Asia to Europe via the Caucasus and Turkey, bypassing Russia, with a proposed investment of €10 billion. Prior to the summit, Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, held preparatory meetings with the foreign ministers of the Central Asian nations in Turkmenistan.
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, previously visited the region, focusing on energy resources, uranium, and financial cooperation. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also participated in the Samarkand summit.
Kazakhstan, the wealthiest of the Central Asian states, possesses significant reserves of natural resources, including oil, gas, uranium, gold, and rare earth elements. Other Central Asian countries also hold substantial resource wealth, making the region a focal point for global powers.
Experts note that Central Asian countries aim to diversify their foreign policies, maintaining relations with the EU, China, Russia, and the United States. While economic cooperation with the EU has not reached the level of China's involvement, investments are anticipated.
The summit occurs against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, with Russia expressing concerns over increasing EU influence in Central Asia. Russia leverages its economic and security ties with these nations, including control over oil pipelines and military bases, to maintain its regional influence.
Analysts suggest that the EU's efforts to strengthen its position in Central Asia may face challenges due to geographical distance, limited engagement from European companies, and a lack of understanding of regional dynamics. Despite these obstacles, the EU's presence in the region has gradually increased since the onset of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as Central Asia serves as a transit hub for goods between the West and Russia.