European Council President Donald Tusk embarked on a three-day trip to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan yesterday.
Tajikistan is the first leg of his tour of Central Asia. Mr. Donald Tusk arrived in Dushanbe Wednesday evening on an official visit, according to the state-run news agency Khovar.
At Dushanbe International Airport, European Council President Donald Tusk was met by Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and other high-ranking Tajik state officials.
At first, Mr. Tusk will meet with Tajik President and then an extending meeting of the delegations of Tajikistan and the European Union will take place.
Khovar says the European Council President also intends to visit the Darvoz district of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and Lake Sarez today.
According to the European Council press service, this trip marks the EU's commitment to strengthen partnerships with these countries and the region as the EU is about to launch its new EU-Central Asia Strategy.
During his visit to Central Asia, President Tusk is scheduled to make several stops to meet with leaders of the region, including: President Emomali Rahmon in Tajikistan; President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan; and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan
Regional and bilateral cooperation will top the agenda. Climate change, environmental protection, border management, and regional security will also feature high on the agenda.
A new Strategy of the European Union for Central Asia has two main parts. The first one concerns the sustainability issues (supremacy of law, security, environmental protection, climate change, education and youth) and the second part concerns issues of prosperity and well-being in Central Asia.
The document reportedly covers a ten-year period and will help define programs of cooperation in the region.
Donald Franciszek Tusk (born April 22, 1957) is a Polish politician who has been the President of the European Council since 2014.
He served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014. Mr. Tusk became President of the European Council in 2014, and was re-elected to this position in 2017.
