On 11 July, the European Union (EU) and the countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held the 12th meeting of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Press release issued by the EU Delegation to Tajikistan says the High-Level Political and Security Dialogue took place in the context of increased engagement between Central Asia and the European Union, following up on the 20th Ministerial meeting, held on March 27, 2025 in Ashgabat and the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit on April 4, 2025 in Samarkand, which upgraded the EU-Central Asia relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss common global and regional security challenges resulting from Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine as well as the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
The meeting allowed taking stock of progress on the implementation of the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia, whose key area 4 focuses on addressing security challenges.
The Participants agreed to intensify cooperation on security, with the EU reiterating its willingness to support these efforts. It was also an occasion to exchange views on emerging security threats such as disinformation, cyber and hybrid threats. All participants agreed that the current turbulent geopolitical situation bears significant impact on the security, stability and economic development of both regions.
Furthermore, the dialogue was an opportunity to discuss strengthening regional cooperation on a number of key issues, including counter-terrorism and violent extremism, border management and illicit drug trafficking, as well as water management and connectivity.
The High-Level Political and Security Dialogue was held back-to-back with the first-ever EU-Central Asia Counterterrorism Dialogue, which took place on July 10, 2025 in Dushanbe.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, Olof Skoog, with participation of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Meder Abakirov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Ismatullo Nasredin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Muzaffar Madrakhimov, the Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Stanislav Vassilenko and Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Tajikistan Aymyrat Gochmyradov.
