Press Release: Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner to attend EU-Central Asia Ministerial Troika 9/10 April in Ashgabat

The EU Troika will meet its Central Asian Counterparts on 9 and 10 April in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to continue developing the new partnership between the EU and Central Asia. This is the third time the EU has met the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in a joint meeting, which will be followed by individual troika meetings with each country. The meeting will focus on implementation of the new EU Strategy for Central Asia, including cooperation in fields of education, rule of law, economy, trade, energy and environment, as well as common threats and challenges like border management, and the fight against drug trafficking. The Central Asia Strategy developed last year is a sign of the EU's growing commitment to this important region, and the growing significance of relations with Central Asia is also demonstrated by the significant increase of EC assistance to the region in the period 2007 - 2013, to a total of €750 million.