ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 4. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, addressing the Central Asia-European Union Summit in Samarkand, expressed support for the EU's Global Gateway strategy, which aims to expand sustainable transportation links in the region, Trend reports.
In his speech, Tokayev presented his vision for the future agenda of cooperation between Central Asia and the European Union.
He emphasized that Kazakhstan, in collaboration with the EBRD, is implementing projects in geological exploration and introducing advanced and sustainable practices in the mining industry. In this context, the President proposed establishing a Regional Research Center for Rare Earth Metals in Astana, which could become a source of relevant information for enterprises and investors regarding available deposits, technologies, and their development.
The President of Kazakhstan believes that with the necessary infrastructure and coordinated actions by the countries of the region, Central Asia can become a prosperous transit hub, ensuring efficient supply chains between the East and the West.
“Last year, container transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route grew by 62 percent, reaching 4.5 million tons. The cargo flow is expected to increase to 10 million tons by 2027,” Tokayev emphasized.
He also noted that Kazakhstan plays a crucial role in clean energy production, providing around 40 percent of global nuclear fuel supplies.
“Last year, Kazakhstan established the Regional Project Office on Climate Change and 'Green' Energy,” Tokayev added.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked the event participants and European partners for supporting the initiative to establish the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. In his view, this center will effectively serve to promote the universal "Agenda-2030" and contribute to addressing urgent social, economic, and environmental issues in the region.
The session also featured speeches by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdymukhammedov, and the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso.
Today, the “Central Asia – European Union” summit took place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The “Central Asia – European Union” summit is an important diplomatic meeting where cooperation issues between the Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and the European Union are discussed. These summits are usually held to strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties between the two regions.