1. We, the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan as well as the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, have met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 18 November 2022 to hold the first EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference: Global Gateway.

2. We welcome the institutionalization of the relationship between Central Asia and the EU through the work of existing high-level platforms, including the first EU–Central Asia meeting between President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov (represented by Turkmenistan’s Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers), President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel on 27 October in Astana, Kazakhstan.

3. We reaffirm our commitment to work together for peace, security stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in full respect for international law and stress the importance of deeper structured regional cooperation, as exemplified by the Consultative Meetings of Central Asian leaders.  We express our continued commitment, including in the current geopolitical context, to uphold the UN Charter, particularly the principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, non-use of force or threat of its use and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. We reiterate our joint commitment to the rule of law, democracy, good governance, gender equality and universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, including labour rights, the rights of persons belonging to ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups, and women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of their human rights.

4. We recall the EU’s Central Asia Strategy of 2019, the EU’s Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia of 2019, the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy as well as the international conference on Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities, held on 15-16 July 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the EU–Central Asia Economic Forum held on 5 November in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, and the Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in November 2016 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and look forward to the holding of the next EU-Central Asia Economic Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2023. We affirm our commitment to build upon these important foundations to establish a strong, ambitious, and forward-looking framework for cooperation between the European Union and Central Asia to deliver sustainable connectivity within and between our regions.

5. We affirm our commitment to intensify cooperation within Central Asia and between Europe and Central Asia in strengthening energy security through development of alternative energy supply routes, enhancing sustainable and secure digitalisation including digital sovereignty, improving transport connections, and transitioning to a green, sustainable, climate- and ecologically-positive economy and e-commerce. We recognise that increased sustainable connectivity supports our shared goal of a prosperous and secure Central Asia.

6. We affirm the potential of enhanced secure digitalisation to deliver green economic development, overcome geographical obstacles, improve public service delivery, support business recovery, and support education, research, innovation, and job creation. We support the development of digital connectivity within the Central Asian region, as well as between the EU and Central Asia. We note the possibility of adopting a separate EU concept ’Digital Agenda for Central Asia’ for implementation in the framework of the Digital Europe Program (DIGITAL).

7. In times of increased pressure in the energy sector, we highlight the importance of developing the cooperation in this field to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen energy security, based on the collaboration with trustworthy partners, taking into account the regions climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and the continued progress towards green energy transition in the region. Central Asia has a great potential to develop renewable energy contributing to the decarbonisation and diversification of its sources of energy supply, and can play a useful role in the EU’s energy diversification, and thus, strengthening its energy security both in the region and in the EU. Therefore, we emphasize the significance of engaging and cooperating with Central Asia’s ongoing energy transition and decarbonisation efforts and in enhancing Central Asia’s capabilities in terms of export and transport of energy commodities, including through development of new and efficient use of existing energy supply infrastructure.

8. We underline the powerful role that improved, sustainable, safe and secure transport connections can play in enhancing trade and people-to-people contacts, and supporting economic diversification and green growth, and we undertake to explore together the ways in which sustainable transport connections within Central Asia and between Central Asia and Europe can be strengthened and enlarged. We welcome the proposal to hold a regional transport connectivity experts meeting in 2023 in Turkmenistan. We reaffirm our willingness to explore the transport and transit potential of the Central Asian region and the promotion of diversification of transport routes in order to strengthen the connectivity processes on the axis Europe - Asia through Central Asia. We also recognize the need to transform Central Asia into an important link in trans-regional transport and logistics networks by creating conditions for the promotion of transport and infrastructure projects of inter-regional importance. We emphasize the commitment to transform the region into a production and logistics hub between North and South, West and East, thereby ensuring strong and sustainable economic connectivity of Europe and Central Asia. In this regard, we stress the importance of connecting the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) with Central Asia. We express readiness to hold a special meeting in the EU-Central Asia format to discuss soft connectivity issues such as the harmonization of customs procedures, adoption of common tariffs and creation of an integrated digital network along key connections, including the Trans-Caspian route. The parties are in favour of developing a long-term strategic program for the development of transport and communication interconnectivity, taking into account relevant aspects of the "Global Gateway" Strategy.

9. We acknowledge the challenges presented by climate change, water scarcity, and a growing demand for green energy. We affirm the central contribution that enhanced and sustainable connectivity can make to addressing these challenges, through improved access to low-carbon energy generation, allowing for more energy-efficient agricultural and industrial production, and leading to better water and waste management. We recall our commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. We intend to make greater use of the EU's Sustainable Energy Nexus Program in Central Asia in implementing the Green Agenda for Central Asia. We support holding the next EU-Central Asia High-Level Conference on Environment and Water Resources in February 2023 in Rome and consider it necessary to develop a concrete action plan in this area. We expressed our interest to holding the EU-Central Asia Ministerial Conference on agro-food security in Uzbekistan in 2023.

10. We note the importance of the EU’s two regional Team Europe Initiatives, on Digital Connectivity, and on Water, Energy and Climate respectively, as having the potential to contribute to Central Asia’s sustainable economic and human development and its resilience against climate change-induced threats.

11. We also stress the importance of Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (EPCAs) for advancing bilateral relations between the EU and the countries of Central Asia. 

12. We underline the importance of further strengthening the rule of law in our societies to improve the business climate and achieve sustainable economic development. We will work together to promote openness, transparency, inclusiveness and a level playing field for investors and businesses in connectivity. We recognise the importance of mobilising levers and tools to spur private investment. To this end, we recall the importance of building on the opportunities arising under the EU’s new financial instruments to promote sustainable connectivity. We also intend to cooperate to facilitate the financing of sustainable connectivity with the engagement of International Financial Institutions and the private sector.

13. We will work together to expand connections between people, especially youth, in Europe and Central Asia, including through higher education, culture, and tourism.

[Disclaimer: Turkmenistan’s final approval of this text is pending its internal procedures.]