04.04.2025

On April 4, the first “Central Asia-European Union” Summit was held in Samarkand under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The event was also attended by President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso and the management of the European Investment Bank.

In accordance with the agenda, the prospects for the development of multifaceted relations and practical interaction between the Central Asian states and the European Union were considered, and views were exchanged on topical aspects of international and regional politics.

Particular attention has been paid to expanding investment cooperation and increasing trade turnover, promoting joint programs and cooperation projects in innovation, green energy, mining, agriculture, transport, logistics and digitalization, continuing active exchanges in culture, tourism, science, education and other priority areas.

Opening the event, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized with satisfaction that the relations between Central Asia and Europe, which have deep roots, are dynamically developing and strengthening.

The constructive and productive meetings held on the eve of the summit demonstrated the political will and determination to deepen practical cooperation in the interests of both regions.

The leader of Uzbekistan expressed his gratitude to the heads of the main political and economic institutions of the European Union for their full support of the processes of integration and sustainable development in Central Asia.

According to the President of Uzbekistan, thanks to a shared political will, the deep transformation of the region has become stable and irreversible. Trust and good neighborliness are being strengthened, and comprehensive cooperation and collaboration are expanding.

- Just seven or eight years ago, there weren’t even any preconditions for this. Borders between countries were closed. There was no trade, no transit, no business, no humanitarian exchanges. Relations were simply frozen, - emphasized Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In September of this year, Tashkent will host the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the Region, which serves as a platform for open and constructive solutions to pressing issues on the joint regional agenda.

The President of Uzbekistan specifically highlighted a historic development that occurred recently – the complete resolution and signing of agreements on the delimitation of the state border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

It was also emphasized that major investment and infrastructure projects are now being jointly implemented in the region, supported by investment funds and companies. Intra-regional trade is increasing, and cross-border trade zones are being established, contributing to the region’s sustainable economic growth.

According to EBRD forecasts, regional GDP is expected to grow by 6 percent this year –significantly higher than the average in other regions.

Special attention was drawn to joint efforts in shaping a shared regional identity, as well as in supporting cultural, humanitarian, and educational exchanges. Branches of leading national universities are opening across Central Asia, and the Central Asian unified visa project for international tourists is making progress.

There is a noticeable intensification of interaction between the region and the European Union. Over the past seven years, the countries' trade turnover has increased several times, amounting to 54 billion euros. Effective cooperation platforms have been launched. Ministerial meetings, forums and summits are held regularly in all key areas.

The leader of Uzbekistan presented his vision of the priorities for the further development of cooperation in the medium and long term.

First of all, the importance of strengthening the political dialogue, the legal and institutional basis for multilateral cooperation was noted.

The need for joint adoption of comprehensive measures aimed at the practical implementation of the decision to establish a strategic partnership between Central Asia and the European Union was indicated.

It was proposed to consider the issue of signing a full-fledged Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the two regions in order to fill the strategic partnership with specific decisions, projects and programs.

The President of Uzbekistan also spoke in favor of holding regular meetings of the heads of foreign ministries to "synchronize watches" on the international and regional agenda, establishment of the Central Asia-EU Interparliamentary Cooperation Forum with the first event to be held this autumn in Uzbekistan; expansion of cooperation between leading analytical centres.

In order to work systematically to ensure the timely implementation of the agreements, Uzbekistan expressed readiness to assume the functions of the summit secretariat until the next meeting.

Investments in economic and technological modernization were defined as a priority dimension of interaction.

Today, the current portfolio of projects with leading European companies and banks exceeds 30 billion euros.

It was proposed to hold a separate session on “Investment Opportunities of Two Regions” during the next Tashkent Investment Forum with a presentation of the Concept of a Regional Industrial Park for European Companies in Uzbekistan.

The signing of the Agreement on the opening of the European Investment Bank office in Tashkent, which will stimulate the inflow of direct investment to Central Asia from EU countries, was noted with satisfaction. The Head of our state also put forward an initiative to launch an Investment Platform to promote major regional projects in the field of "green" energy, innovation, transport, infrastructure and the agricultural sector.

In addition, the President of Uzbekistan put forward a number of new initiatives. This includes concluding a multilateral Agreement on the protection and promotion of investments, launching a joint Chamber of Commerce "Central Asia - EU", adopting a joint regional program to support projects of small and medium-sized businesses, women's entrepreneurship.

Readiness to host the next Economic Forum and the Investor Forum on Transport Interconnectivity in Uzbekistan this year was noted.

Attention was also drawn to expanding technical assistance from the European Union to increase the potential of our exporters, create laboratories and standardization and certification centers.

Another promising area for mutually beneficial partnership is deepening cooperation and investment in the field of critical mineral resources.

Uzbekistan has a positive track record of cooperation with leading European companies in this field. However, the expansion of partnerships in this direction is hindered by the lack of effective transport corridors for delivering such products, as well as ready-made industrial and agricultural goods, to the European market.

In this context, the need for the development of coordinated measures and favorable conditions for the expansion and utilization of the Trans-Caspian transport corridor was emphasized.

- I am confident that these objectives fully align with the goals of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, – stated the President.

To this end, it was proposed to convene, under the auspices of the European Union, a meeting of transport ministers from the countries along the route to develop coordinated approaches.

Strategic importance is given to investments in green energy and environmental sustainability.

It was noted that Uzbekistan fully supports the international project for supplying electricity from Central Asia to Europe.

By 2030, our country plans to increase the share of renewable energy in the energy balance to 54 percent, introduce 24 thousand megawatts of "green" capacity.

An important platform for interaction in this area could be the launch of the Central Asia-EU Partnership on "clean" energy.

It was proposed to establish a working group to work out project financing and develop the carbon credit market.

Investments in human capital play an important role in the development of cooperation between the two regions.

The achievement of this goal will be facilitated by the introduction of special quotas for countries in the region within the framework of the “Erasmus Plus” Program for the training of highly qualified specialists.

In addition, in order to expand scientific and educational cooperation with the countries of Central Asia, a readiness was expressed to open an office of the “Horizon – Europe” program in Uzbekistan.

An initiative was put forward to develop a joint Program for scientific and technological exchange in the field of artificial intelligence, big data, digitalization and space research. 

The President of Uzbekistan also made proposals to include countries in the region in the European Action Programme in the field of digital education, as well as to implement a “road map” for partnership between leading universities.

In continuation of efforts to introduce the world audience to the rich culture of our region, the importance of actively using the venue of the upcoming UNESCO General Conference in

Samarkand to promote the art of the peoples of Central Asia was especially emphasized.

This year, it is also planned to hold the first tourism forum "Central Asia - European Union" in Bukhara.

- We count on the assistance of European partners in implementing the concept of "One tour - the whole region" based on the introduction of the experience of EU countries, as well as considering the issue of simplifying the visa regime for tourists from our region, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Cooperation in the fight against terrorism, extremism, radicalism, cybercrime, drug trafficking and illegal migration is relevant.

The proposal of European partners to launch a dialogue on counter-terrorism issues was supported. The importance of continuing practical cooperation within the framework of the BOMCA and CADAP programs, as well as consultations on issues of peaceful development of Afghanistan, was noted.

In order to implement mechanisms for the practical implementation of the initiatives and agreements put forward, the head of our state proposed establishing a Partnership Committee at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers in the Central Asia-EU format with annual meetings.

During the meeting, the heads of delegations made proposals to expand practical cooperation between the two regions.

Following the first summit, a Joint Declaration was adopted, providing for the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two regions, and a declaration on cooperation in the field of critical minerals.