The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, arrived in Ashgabat on Thursday to lead the 20th EU–Central Asia Ministerial Meeting, with the participation of the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as reported by the press release from the EU Delegation in Turkmenistan.
The central topic of the discussions will be preparations for the first EU–Central Asia summit, which will take place on April 3-4 in Samarkand. The parties will discuss key regional cooperation issues: security, economic ties, transport and digital infrastructure, energy, water resources, trade, education, and scientific research.
Kallas will meet with the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov, as part of her visit to Ashgabat.
The next stop on her diplomatic tour will be Uzbekistan, where Kallas will meet with the country's leadership—Foreign Minister Bahtiyor Saidov and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The visit will conclude in Kazakhstan, with meetings in Almaty with Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
