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Press statement by President von der Leyen with President Costa following the first EU-Central Asia Summit

European Commission

Statement
Apr 4, 2025
Samarkand

First of all, I want to thank President Mirziyoyev for his amazing hospitality. António and I agree: Samarkand is simply breathtaking. We have visited Samarkand's historic treasures - Registan Square, the Ulugh Beg Observatory, and the Amir Temur Mausoleum. This ancient city has been at the crossroads of so many civilisations for so long. This is why it is such a fitting venue for the first EU-Central Asia Summit.

This is the beginning of a new chapter in our long-standing friendship. Central Asia is a partner of choice for us. So today we have launched the new Strategic Partnership. It means we can rely on each other. And relying on each other in today's world matters more than ever.

The political will to deepen our cooperation like never before is there. And it has never been clearer. As a great start to this new chapter, we have launched a package of EUR 12 billion for the region in our Global Gateway investment programme. It has four priorities. The first is transport. The aim is to bring our regions closer. And of course, a flagship project is the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, where the European Union is investing EUR 10 billion. The second element is climate, energy and water. This is crucial to protect the land, our nature and our climate - and we just had a very successful Climate Forum here in Samarkand. We are also building gigantic dams - the Rogun dam and the Kambarata dam - to support the region's water and energy security. And we are also creating a new green belt in the Aral Sea basin, for the desert to bloom with life again. The third topic is digital. It concerns our world-class satellites. We are partnering to bring internet via our satellites to the most remote areas of the region. Because we all know that when internet arrives to a school or a village, it creates fantastic new opportunities. And here, we want to connect remote villages, schools and hospitals via the ground stations for the satellites.

And finally, on the critical raw materials, the materials we all need to power the clean transition and clean economy of tomorrow. Central Asia has a significant share of global reserves. And Europe wants to give a fair offer, a special offer. As partners, we want to build local value chains for the critical minerals. This means that the value created here in the region stays here, in the region, and that it creates good jobs. Because we think that when our partners grow, Europe grows too. This is our vision of a fair partnership . This is the Global Gateway approach. And I am very glad to see our partners so determined to implement these great projects together.

So thank you very much. I am honoured to be part of this historic Summit here in Samarkand.