The European Union and the five countries of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — on July 16 held the 13th meeting of their annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue in Brussels.
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 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Arman Issetov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Idibek Kalandar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Ahmet Gurbanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Muzaffarbek Madrakhimov, and the Ambassador of the Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the European Union, Aidit Erkin.
At the meeting, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with Central Asia, building on the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia (October 2023) and the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit which took place in April 2025. The European Union also underlined the importance of enhancing resilience through effective governance, the rule of law, accountable institutions and inclusive economic development and stressed the need to upholding international law, the principles of the UN Charter and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to the EU, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss global and regional developments, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and Afghanistan. The Parties welcomed the growing momentum in political engagement and agreed to continue efforts to address common security challenges as an essential pillar of the broader partnership. They welcomed the ongoing cooperation through EU programmes supporting border management, countering terrorism and violent extremism, combating illegal drug trafficking, and strengthening cyber security. Sustainable connectivity, secure transport corridors, energy security and digital transformation were recognised as increasingly important for regional resilience and prosperity.
