EU strengthens ties with Central Asia
(VOVWORLD) -The European Council President Charles Michel was in Kyrgyzstan on Friday for a key summit as Brussels seeks to tighten ties with Central Asian countries.
 Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov (right) and the European Council President Charles Michel at the 2nd Summit "European Union-Central Asia" in the town of Cholpon-Ata on June 2, 2023 (Photo: AFP) |
It was Mr. Michel’s second visit to the region since last February. He visited neighboring Kazakhstan for a similar summit last October.
The 2nd Summit "European Union-Central Asia" in the town of Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, gathered leaders from the EU, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. They discussed prospects of regional cooperation between Central Asia and the EU as well as regional and international developments.
The European Union is the number one donor for Central Asia with 1.1 billion euros (1.14 billion USD) of European assistance for the region in the period 2014-2020. EU is also the major investor of Central Asian countries after the US, Russia, and China.