EU Launches New Strategic Partnership With Central Asian Countries

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, March 4 (KUNA) -- The European Union launched on Friday a new strategic partnership with Central Asian countries emphasizing the importance of enhancing economic, trade, investment, environmental, and security cooperation between the EU and the Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
In a joint statement issued on the occasion of the first summit between the EU and the Central Asian countries, the signatory parties reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate in addressing common security challenges in areas such as cybersecurity, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, hybrid threats, as well as countering terrorism, enhancing border security, and preventing drug and human trafficking.
The joint statement stressed the need to strengthen trade and investment relations between the two sides to foster and diversify regional trade, as well as economic growth.
For her part, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a separate statement, said that holding the summit in Uzbekistan today marks "the beginning of a new chapter in the (European Union's) long-standing friendship with Central Asia."
Regarding the critical raw materials that Central Asian countries hold significant reserves of, von der Leyen emphasized that "Europe is willing to offer a fair deal" to benefit from them.
The EU-Asia summit comes as part of the European Union's strategy to enhance its partnerships and diversify its economic relations, especially following the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House and the imposition of tariffs on the EU. (end)
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