Central Asia's strengthening ties with EU, US further untether region from Russia, China

TASHKENT -- The European Union (EU)-Central Asia summit, held earlier this month in the Kyrgyz resort town of Cholpon-Ata, is the most recent example of Central Asia moving closer to Europe and the United States.

During the summit, which was held on June 2, Turkmenistan's deputy prime minister and the heads of four other Central Asian states -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- conferred with European Council President Charles Michel on security and other issues.

One of the key objectives of the Central Asian states was to maintain relative independence from Russia and China, said Almaty resident Galym Ageleuov, the president of Liberty, a Kazakh non-governmental organisation.

The EU and the United States, which steer the opposite geopolitical path from Russia and China, are what make it even marginally possible to restrain the ambitions of the two neighbouring giants, he told Caravanserai.

"This balancing act curbs the appetites of Russia and China," Ageleuov said.

Different approaches

The EU and the United States have significant interests in Central Asia, but their approach to the region differs, according to Fikret Shabanov, president of the Consultations on International Policy and Economy research firm.

The main points of contact among the EU, United States and Central Asia are the protection of human rights, democratisation, stability and security, as well as the region's overall economic and social development, he told Caravanserai.

Washington deals with the military aspects of security, while the EU is trying to advance security objectives through long-term development, he said. And each has its own trade interests in the region.

"As of today, the United States and [EU] are not the main foreign policy players in Central Asia," Shabanov said.

"Russia continues to be the 'first among equals' in security matters, while China has taken a leading position in relation to the economy and trade."

"The EU and United States see Central Asia differently," he said.

The US Department of Defence (Pentagon) puts the region in a Central Command (CENTCOM) group that includes the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Afghanistan and Pakistan, he noted.

"From that we can conclude that Washington no longer considers Central Asia a post-Soviet space and logically separates it from Russia," Shabanov said.

Yet Europe thinks of the region as part of Eurasia, a distant neighbour, and as a former Soviet region, he observed.

Following the European Neighbourhood Policy, which sought to build strong ties with the MENA region, Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, the 2007 launch of an EU Strategy for Central Asia was a logical step for EU foreign policy.

On one hand, it represents a continuation of EU policy in Eastern Europe and Russia, while on the other, it is an independent political strategy based on its own financing instruments and structure.

Central Asia's foreign policy

The EU has said it considers Central Asian countries its "strategic neighbours" and subscribes to the idea of geographic continuity.

For the United States, the region is part of a larger geopolitical calculation.

The EU strategy is to help Central Asia develop as a more resilient, prosperous and co-operative space by supporting economic diversification and private sector development, intra-regional trade and regional co-operation.

Its development priorities aim to meet the expanding needs of a growing and young population and to provide economic opportunities in the region.

"Given Central Asia's vulnerability to natural disasters and the effects of climate change, regional programmes also help countries prepare for and respond to these risks," Shabanov said.

Central Asian countries want to implement a multi-stage foreign policy, Dushanbe-based political scientist Shokir Khakimov told Caravanserai.

It is time to realise that they have a pragmatic approach that is not directed against other centres of power, especially Russia and China, he said.

"Technological processes cannot progress, sociopolitical transformations and constitutional legal reforms cannot evolve, and the real economy cannot revive without the support of the EU, the United States, Japan and South Korea," he said.

These powers control "not only major financial institutions and lenders but also international organisations that serve a variety of purposes", he noted.

Uzbekistan and the EU

Leaders of Central Asia countries and the EU have agreed to meet regularly, with the next summit slated for 2024 in Tashkent.

Last November, Mirziyoyev travelled to France, where 14 contracts and bilateral agreements worth more than €6 billion ($6.6 billion) were signed.

This month, shortly after the summit, Mirziyoyev travelled to Italy.

On the eve of his visit, a package of investment agreements and trade contracts worth over €9 billion ($9.8 billion) was signed between the two countries.

In Rome, leaders signed 11 documents on co-operation related to the economy, education, tourism, agriculture, and other fields.

For three consecutive years, Uzbekistan has been the top Central Asian recipient of financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In 2022, the EBRD invested almost $900 million in 26 projects in the Central Asian country. Over the years of working with Uzbekistan, the bank has invested about €4 billion ($4.4 billion) in 128 projects.

Uzbekistan's trade with EU countries has grown by 70% since the beginning of 2023, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's press office said in early June. The portfolio of investment projects involving leading European companies in the Uzbek economy's high-tech sectors exceeds €20 billion ($21.8 billion).

A good opportunity

Last year, Rakhmonberdi Salamatov, director of a major Uzbek trading company that exports fruits and vegetables, exported 2,000 tonnes of melons to Latvia, Germany, Sweden and Poland.

He was able to diversify exports by participating in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Agricultural Value Chains project.

"We plan to export 3,500 tonnes of Uzbek melons to EU countries this harvest year," he told Caravanserai.

In 2022, Maksut Okmuratov, a farmer from Khorazm province, exported five tonnes of rare Khorazm melon varieties to the EU for the first time.

"The EU market is a very good opportunity [for] our produce," he told Caravanserai.

"I think that our sweet melons will withstand competition with produce from other countries," he added. "The important thing is that we opened Europe for ourselves, and we will continue to work hard in this direction."