See you in Samarkand: Brussels talks set scene for summit in Uzbekistan

The latest round of the EU-Central Asia high-level political and security dialogue saw deputy foreign ministers from five central Asian countries meet senior EU officials in Brussels. There was much to discuss, including the situation in Afghanistan and wider security concerns. Talks will resume at an upcoming ministerial conference on interconnectedness and sustainable development, to be hosted in Samarkand by Uzbekistan. The intensity of engagement reflects the growing importance to Europe of trade with and through Central Europe, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.

At a time when international relations are in a state of flux, the European Union’s partnership with Central Asia is more important than ever. The five nations of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are both a bridge between Europe and Asia and of crucial strategic importance in their own right.

A meeting with their Deputy Foreign Ministers in Brussels will be followed later this year by a conference in Samarkand, an Uzbek city on the Silk Road. It’s a location that speaks to both the historical depth of ties between Central Asia and Europe and their current importance, as new trade routes are opened up.

The ministers held talks with the Deputy Secretary-General and Political Director of the European External Action Service, Enrique Mora. Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Gayrat Fozilov also had a bilateral meeting with Mora with the Samarkand conference high on the agenda.

He also met Director General Koen Doens, from the European Commission’s DG International Partnerships, to explore further the scope for EU-Uzbek relations in trade and investment and the wider economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as environmental protection.

The European Commission has committed to a seven-year programme of cooperation with Uzbekistan and has fully supported the reform, transformation and integration processes that have been underway since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took office at the end of 2016. The EU  has praised his reform programme as ‘bold and ambitious’.

It includes the reform of public institutions and state-owned enterprises, a sustainable transformation to a market economy, increased citizen engagement and a renewed commitment to regional cooperation. A shared vision of peace, security, human rights, democracy and sustainable development is the basis of an Enhanced Partnership and Co-Operation agreement between the EU and Uzbekistan.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties between Uzbekistan and Belgium, meeting members of the federal parliament in Brussels. They discussed the democratic reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan, especially the strengthening of the role of the Uzbek Parliament.

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