Central Asia
Activist: Talking about nuclear weapons is not enough, we must shout
“Wherever I have been, I always say with pride that I live in a country that was one of the first to give up nuclear weapons”, Kazakhstan's famous painter and anti-nuclear activist Karipbek Kuyukov told EURACTIV in an interview.
New Kyrgyzstan president sails through first EU visit
The leaders of the EU institutions received the new Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Thursday (12 April) for talks that focused on steadily improving relations between the countries of Central Asia and the negotiation of a new Kyrgyzstan-EU agreement.
Mogherini discusses future of Afghanistan at Central Asia forum
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini arrived in the Uzbek capital Tashkent yesterday (26 March) and met with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries, ahead of a conference on Afghanistan under the heading "Peace process, security cooperation and regional connectivity" which takes place today.
Expert: One Belt One Road can have ‘huge importance’ for Central Asia
Kazakhstani political analyst Zhumabek Sarabekov discusses the Skripal poisoning case, the war in Syria, and the geopolitics of Central Asia, including the role of the EU.
Political analyst: In Central Asia, the personality factor is very important
A change at the helm of Uzbekistan 18 months ago became a game-changer and greatly improved relations in Central Asia, where the personality factor remains very important. In an interview, researcher Anastassiya Reshetnyak assesses the geopolitical situation, relations in the region and with the EU.
Minister: Central Asia can be a model of peace, security and cooperation
In a wide-ranging interview, Galymzhan Koisybayev, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, told EURACTIV about the results of a recent summit of the Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan) and the past and the future of regional cooperation.
Astana meeting on Syria takes place without Western oversight
Kazakhstan and Russia urged the US on Friday (16 March) to engage "in a constructive dialogue" in the context of the unfolding tragedy in Syria. But no US or Western diplomats were present at the eight edition of the Syria talks, held in the framework of the so-called Astana process.
Connecting Central Asia
The five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan – only recently represented one of the most disconnected regions of the world, but have now launched a new regional cooperation drive. As a non-permanent of the UN...
Astana hosts little-publicised Central Asia summit
Only a couple of years ago, a summit of the five Central Asia countries would have been absolutely unthinkable. But the leaders came together on Thursday (15 March) and decided to hold such meetings annually, always at the same time of the year, which is a major holiday in the region.OpinionPromoted content
Kazakhstan to lower mortgage costs, reduce taxes on low-wage workers, among other initiatives
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced 5 March what he called “Five Social Initiatives”, including tax breaks for low-income workers and greater access to education, that are expected to directly positively impact half of the country’s 18 million people, writes Aigerim Seisembayeva.
25 years of EU-Kazakhstan relations
On 2 February 2018, EU and Kazakhstan celebrated the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, an anchoring point for their close and mutually beneficial cooperation. This infographic highlights the main achievements of these 25 years.
Another environmental catastrophe is looming in Central Asia
The EU as a soft power should convince other donors to make the funds available to decontaminate old uranium mines in Central Asia, writes Adrian De Meer.
EU officials: Central Asia is trusted to define its regional interest
Speaking at a public event organised by EURACTIV in Brussels, EU officials shed light on the Union’s relation with Kazakhstan, saying it was increasingly becoming a model for the wider region of Central Asia.
What’s next for EU-Kazakhstan relations?
2018 is an important year for EU-Kazakhstan relations as it marks the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and the start of a new chapter with the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU (EPCA) fully entering into force.
Projecting soft power as an imperative for the EU in Central Asia
There is a thirst for Europe in Central Asia and much more should be done to answer this interest under existing and new inter-cultural programs, writes Nargis Kassenova.
The EU-Kazakhstan agreement in an nutshell
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU (EPCA) is unique. The European Commission says that the EU’s relationship with Central Asia in general and Kazakhstan in particular “has never been any stronger or any better”.
How Central Asian energy complements the Southern Gas Corridor
Practical access to Central Asian gas, which would arrive via the twin projects of the White Stream and the Trans-Caspian Pipeline, is finally coming at just the right time to complete the Southern Gas Corridor, writes Robert M. Cutler.
Guterres highlights cooperation potential of Central Asia with Afghanistan
UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted on Friday (21 January) the potential of the five countries of Central Asia for addressing the threats of violent extremism and transnational organised crime in Afghanistan. For its part, Kazakhstan has suggested building an economic and security partnership with Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan likely to host future Ukraine talks
One of the major highlights of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarayev's visit to the US was an exchange of remarks with Donald Trump that suggested the Minsk talks on Ukraine may be moved to the Kazakh capital, Astana.
President of Kazakhstan meets Trump ahead of key UN appearance
The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazabayev is in the US where he met on Tuesday (16 January) with US President Donald Trump. But the main purpose of his visit is a speech at the United Nations where Kazakhstan holds the Presidency of the Security Council for January.
The tripartite approach is suffocating OSCE
Kazakhstan’s view is that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should not be a place where decisions are made by the United States, Russia and the European Union with everyone else reduced to the role of spectators, writes Kairat Abdrakhmanov.
Erdogan and Macron take lead in urging US to turn back on Jerusalem decision
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and France's Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a Turkish presidential source said on Saturday (9 December).
‘Central Asia Spring’ hailed after Uzbekistan changed leadership
A leading MEP said on Tuesday (28 November) that regional cooperation in Central Asia was benefitting from “a new beginning” thanks to democratisation in Uzbekistan flowing the death of its first leader Islam Karimov in 2016.
