EU seeks closer cooperation with Central Asia

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton is traveling to Central Asia this week with the aim to deepen relations between the 27-member European bloc and Central Asian nations. She begins her visit from Kyrgyzstan, where she will chair the EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting in Bishkek on Tuesday, November 27, before continuing her trip to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan over the following three days. In a statement ahead of her visit, Ashton said "the EU is playing an increasingly important role in Central Asia, through its presence on the ground and through engagement with its partners in the region." She said that the EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting will discuss security and regional cooperation, energy, environment and water issues. The meeting will also cover other topics such as education, rule of law, human rights and initiatives on civil society. "Five years after the adoption of the EU's Central Asia Strategy, the meeting should also allow us to assess and to deepen our cooperation," she added. The EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting tomorrow is the first to be held in the Kyrgyz Republic. It will be attended by the Foreign Ministers or Deputy Foreign Ministers of all five countries of the region; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is the ninth Ministerial since the Central Asia Strategy was adopted by the EU in 2007.