The 15th EU-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting that took place in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek ended with signing of a Joint Communiqué “The EU and Central Asia: Forging a Stronger Partnership Together.”
The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission reportedly met Bishkek for the 15th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting on July 7.
According to the European External Action Service, the participants reaffirmed their joint commitment to forge a strong, diversified and forward-looking partnership that builds upon the positive dynamics underway in Central Asia and the strong mutual interests between the two regions.
They reportedly reaffirmed their commitment to work together for peace, security, human rights, democracy and sustainable development in full respect for international law.
The Foreign Ministers of Central Asia welcomed in that respect the new EU Strategy on Central Asia adopted by the EU Member States on June 17, 2019, which focuses the EU's commitment to the region on partnering for resilience and prosperity, as well as investing in regional cooperation, according to the Joint Communiqué.
The EU emphasized its commitment to mobilize all its policies and instruments in line with the objectives of the Strategy and to strengthen its role as a partner for the Central Asian countries in their reform process, as a supporter of their integration in the world trading system, and as a supporter of their regional cooperation efforts.
In line with the EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia, the participants agreed to work together to promote sustainable connectivity. The participants also highlighted the importance of supporting as appropriate the involvement of Afghanistan in EU-Central Asia cooperation initiatives and projects and to strengthen connectivity between Central Asian countries and Afghanistan.
The participants stressed the importance of Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreements as a cornerstone of relations between the EU and the Central Asian countries.
The participants welcomed the first "EU-Central Asia Forum", held back-to-back with the Ministerial meeting, as a key opportunity for the civil societies of the two regions to contribute to the development of the EU-Central Asia partnership. They reportedly welcomed the proposal made by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to host the first EU-Central Asia Economic Forum.
The participants agreed to meet in 2020 in Brussels.
