Five countries in Central Asia, which Russia considers to be in its sphere of influence, and the EU (European Union) held summit-level talks for the first time.
As Russia continues to invade Ukraine, Central Asia, where some countries have shown a stance of drawing a line with Russia, appears to be aiming to strengthen economic ties with the EU.
The President's Office of Kazakhstan announced on the 27th that five Central Asian countries and the EU held their first summit-level meeting in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and agreed to support the principle of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country. did.
Prior to this, Kazakhstan's President Tokayev held a summit meeting with EU President Michel and emphasized that "the relationship is even stronger."
In response, President Michel said, "The EU will support reforms to strengthen democracy. Respect for human rights and freedoms is an important element of our cooperation." showed hope.
Regarding Central Asia, which Russia considers to be its sphere of influence, some countries such as Kazakhstan have recently shown a stance of drawing a line with Russia, and it seems that there is an aim to strengthen cooperation with the EU in areas such as trade.
On the other hand, the EU is also dependent on Russia for energy, and learning from the fact that it is currently being forced to respond, it would like to strengthen its relationship with Central Asia in order to diversify its resource procurement sources, which are dependent on China. is.