The EU introduced its Strategy for Central Asia in 2007 to upgrade its cooperationwith the five states of the region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Concerns over energy security and the war in Afghanistan dominated the political context at that time, but the strategy sought to take a broad and comprehensive approach, with priority actions addressing political dialogue, education, economic development, energy and transport links, human rights and the rule of law, drug trafficking, environmental sustainability, and water, among other concerns.
This book offers the first assessment of this ambitious plan, undertaken by independent analysts from the EU and Central Asia. The roles of Russia, China, the United States, Turkey, Iran, and other major players, as well as the current state of politics and economics in the region, are all analyzed through the prism of the EU strategy.
