• 14 hours ago
EU seals new Central Asia partnership deal as debut Samarkand summit ends

Amid global tensions following Trump's tariff announcements, the EU marked 30 years of diplomatic ties by declaring a new strategic partnership with Central Asia.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/04/eu-seals-new-central-asia-partnership-deal-as-debut-samarkand-summit-ends

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Transcript
00:00The first ever EU-Central Asia Summit, where the EU's Antonio Costa and Ursula von der
00:04Leyen were present, has concluded after two days of meetings in the Uzbek city of Samarkand
00:10with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
00:14In today's international context, the importance of a functioning rules-based multilateral
00:22order cannot be overstated. Our meeting today encourages even more European Union-Central
00:31Asia cooperation in multilateral fora, reinforcing our shared commitment to a peaceful and prosperous
00:41global order.
00:43Regarding the new strategic partnership between Central Asia and Europe, Commission President
00:47Ursula von der Leyen said she believes this will lead to new opportunities, especially
00:51in the energy, tourism, trade and transport sectors.
00:54A strategic location can open global trade routes and investment flows, and these new
01:02investments will enhance sovereignty. They will strengthen your economies, and most importantly
01:10they will make new friendships.
01:13At the Samarkand Summit, the EU sent out a key message that they want to be a big economical
01:19player in the region of Central Asia, and they are willing to put big money on the
01:23table in order to do this. The 12 billion euros investment plan is focusing on climate
01:29action, water management, infrastructure and mining. These are areas where European companies
01:36are traditionally very good, and they are now hoping for new contracts.
01:41In terms of geopolitics, the EU also had a clear message. At the times when Brussels
01:48is facing trade war from the West and land war from the East, they got a new partner
01:54in a strategic location – Central Asia.
01:58Sándor Gíros reported for Euronews from Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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