The first summit between the leaders of the EU and the five countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, together with European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU. The meeting will be hosted by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The summit will be a key opportunity for the EU and Central Asia to demonstrate their geopolitical interest in intensifying bilateral relations and enhancing regional cooperation.
As identified in the goals of the 2019 EU strategy on Central Asia and the joint roadmap for deepening ties between the EU and Central Asia adopted in 2023, evolving relations between the EU and Central Asia have acquired increased strategic importance over the years.
In this context, during the summit the leaders will discuss areas of mutual cooperation such as:
strengthening multilateral cooperation
addressing common security challenges
enhancing economic, trade and investment ties
engaging on energy, climate neutral economy and connectivity under the Global Gateway, and cooperating on the green transition
bolstering people-to-people contacts and mobility
The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit.
Presidents Costa and von der Leyen will also participate in the opening session of the Samarkand international climate forum. Bringing together world leaders, policymakers, climate experts and activists, the forum provides a high-level platform to tackle regional and global threats caused by climate change and reaffirm a collective commitment to the green transition and sustainable development.