Brussels, 11 March 2025
From 12 to18 March, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, will visit Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to strengthen the EU-Central Asia partnership and scale up Global Gateway, the EU’s investment strategy to boost jobs and sustainable economic growth.
The Commissioner’s visit will focus on the main Global Gateway priority areas in Central Asia: transport, particularly the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, critical raw materials, digital connectivity, and the water, energy and climate sector, promoting access to reliable, affordable and clean energy. During the visit, Commissioner Síkela will sign several bilateral and regional agreements linked to these four key priority areas.
In the different countries, the Commissioner will meet with relevant national authorities and private sector representatives. He will also visit key landmarks, such as the Turkmenbashi port in Turkmenistan, a strategic point for the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, the Rogun Hydropower Plant in Tajikistan, or the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex in Uzbekistan.
The visit takes place ahead of the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit in April and the Global Gateway Forum in June. EU financing institutions as well as the EU private sector and Member States present in the region will take part in different parts of the mission, in a Team Europe spirit.
Source – EU Commission