European Union and Central Asia: New Horizons for Enhanced Cooperation

Abstract

Abstract. The article examines the role of the European Union as a stable and promising partner for the Central Asian region at the current stage. The new strategy of relations between the European Union and Central Asia, adopted in June 2019, that takes into account global changes in the international arena, as well as the priorities of the countries of the region in their relations with the EU, is a confirmation of this fact. It is expected that the updated EU policy in relation to the Central Asian countries will allow to strengthen existing cooperation and focus on the most productive projects and, most importantly, modify the approaches and aspects of interaction in order to enter a better format of interaction.

The study highlights the key approaches and tools of the European Union in implementing its policy in Central Asia, as well as an analysis of some current and prospective joint projects/ The application the method of content analysis made it possible to study the content of individual strategic documents of the European Union concerning the region. The method of systematic analysis made it possible to approach the research topic as a set of issues arising in a holistic process. Thus, the author demonstrates the features of the studied phenomena, as well as their relationship and interdependence.

Keywords: European Union; Central Asia; the new EU Strategy for Central Asia; cooperation; connectivity; partnership for sustainability; partnership for prosperity; European Green Deal, a pandemic assistance program; Afghan student training program in Central Asia