The tenth round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 13th June 2023, EU Delegation in Kazakhstan said in a press release.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were represented at the meeting by delegations led by Deputy Foreign Ministers, Turkmenistan – at the level of Ambassador in Astana. The EU delegation was headed by Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs of the European External Action Service, foreign ministry of Kazakhstan said.
The High Level Political and Security Dialogue took place shortly after the second regional high-level meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the President of the European Council on 2 June in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, which highlighted the new level of the interregional cooperation reached between Central Asia and the European Union.
The High-Level Political and Security Dialogue meeting provided an opportunity for the EU to reaffirm its willingness to support all efforts aiming to intensify EU cooperation with Central Asia.
The EU reiterated its wish to step up cooperation with the region in the management of water-related challenges, energy and climate change and on connectivity, building on the outcomes of the EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 18 November 2022, and the EU-Central Asia Economic Forum in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 18 and 19 May 2023.
According to Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vasilenko, over the past 10 years, the European Union has invested about 105 billion euros in Central Asian countries, and by the end of 2022, the trade turnover between the EU and Central Asia increased by 61% and reached US $ 49 billion. At the same time, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the EU amounted to US $ 40 billion.
The participants exchanged views on a number of key issues, including counter-terrorism and violent extremism, drug trafficking and border management, and reviewed possibilities for reinforced cooperation in these areas. It was agreed to intensify common efforts between the EU and Central Asian states in these areas.
In this context, the participants of the dialogue stressed the importance of further effective implementation of multi-year regional assistance programs funded by the European Union to strengthen the capacity of border services and law enforcement agencies, including in the field of countering drug trafficking (LEICA, CADAP, BOMCA).
During the Dialogue, participants discussed the preparation of the forthcoming EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting, to take place this fall. The meeting will provide an opportunity to advance inter-regional cooperation on common security challenges, connectivity, economic and trade, environment, water and climate, education, science and innovation issues, and people to people contacts, promoting deeper ties between the EU and Central Asia.
The High-Level Political and Security Dialogue is held regularly; the first Dialogue took place in 2013 in Brussels. The next round will be held in 2024.///nCa, 14 June 2023 [photo credit – MFA Kazakhstan]
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