1. The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan as well as the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (‘The Participants’) held the 18^th European Union-Central Asia ministerial meeting on 17 November 2022 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). The Participants welcomed the holding of the first meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the President of the European Council on 27 October 2022, in Astana, which confirms the new level of the interregional cooperation between Central Asia and the European Union.
2. The EU reaffirmed its role as an honest and strategic partner for countries in the region. In this regard, the Participants reaffirmed their joint commitment to develop further their strong, diversified and forward-looking partnership that builds upon their shared values and mutual interests. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together for peace, security, and sustainable development in full respect for international law.
3. The Participants underlined the importance of maintaining peace and security globally and regionally, the obligation of all states to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force and the need of peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomatic means as well as of building trust and good neighbourly relations. In this context, the Participants welcomed the intention, by the United Nations, of declaring 2023 as the year of ‘Dialogue is a Guarantee of Peace’. The Participants expressed continued commitment to uphold the UN Charter and principles of international law, particularly the respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN Member states. In this framework, the participants reaffirmed their principled position as regards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU Member States. 
4. The Participants reiterated the importance of progressing on the rule of law, democracy, good governance, gender equality and universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, assembly and association, labour rights, and the rights of persons belonging to ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, such as women and girls, which are key elements for strengthening the resilience of the countries in the region and for EU cooperation with its partners around the world. The Participants underlined the importance of promoting the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision-making. They called for stepping up cooperation to create opportunities for youth in the region, including better access to quality education for all, and decent work. The Participants underlined the importance of facilitating the meaningful participation of civil society in decision-making. They were looking forward to the fourth ‘EU-Central Asia Civil Society Forum’, to be held in 2023.

5. The European Union welcomed the holding of Consultative Meetings of  Central Asian leaders and commended initiatives aimed at promoting closer regional cooperation in Central Asia, including in areas such as trade facilitation, people-to-people contacts, water and energy cooperation, and climate change, all of which the European Union concretely supports through its regional cooperation programmes.
6. The Participants welcomed the EU’s commitment to the stability and prosperity of the region. They welcomed the comprehensive EU approach to the region, which includes multilateral financial assistance, support by individual EU Member States, Team Europe Initiatives and the active engagement of European financial institutions. The Participants emphasised the continued relevance in an increasingly complex geopolitical context of the priorities set out in the EU Strategy on Central Asia of 2019 - promoting resilience, prosperity and regional cooperation - for the future development of the region. The EU emphasised that these priorities guide the implementation of its development cooperation with Central Asia under its multiannual financial framework 2021-2027. The Participants stressed the importance of Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (EPCAs) for advancing bilateral relations between the EU and Central Asian countries. The Participants stressed their determination to work together to promote a green and sustainable post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, leaving no one behind.
7. The Participants noted the potential of further deepening economic relations. Following the positive outcome of the First ‘EU-Central Asia Economic Forum’, held in the Kyrgyz Republic on November 5, 2021, the participants confirmed their determination to organise the second ‘EU-Central Asia Economic Forum’ in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2023, as a key platform for the business communities of the two regions to contribute to the development of the EU-Central Asia partnership. They stressed the importance of a sound business and investment climate through legal certainty, more transparent and predictable rules and an effective fight against corruption.
8. The Participants stressed the importance of continued sustainable connectivity between the EU and Central Asia, in particular through the EU’s Global Gateway in the areas of digital connectivity, transport, health, research and education, as well as in water-energy and climate change. They welcomed the first EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference taking place on 18 November in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as a key opportunity to advance regional connectivity initiatives and the EU and Central Asia’s common agenda in this field. Participants recognised that, in the current geopolitical context, there is a sharply increased need to identify sustainable, reliable, and efficient transport connections between Europe and countries of Central Asia. They also acknowledged the important role and potential the region holds on the international energy market and expressed interest to explore further ways to enhance overall energy connectivity and increase/expand energy supplies towards the EU.
9. The EU encouraged continued progress in the implementation of the Paris commitments on climate and in the region’s transition towards a green economy, including the integration of increasing shares of renewable energy into the electricity market as well as promoting green finance for green projects, aiming for climate neutrality. In this regard, the EU called on the Central Asian countries to join the Global Methane Pledge. The participants acknowledged the need for enhancing inter-connectivity of the regional power systems and continued efforts to boost energy efficiency. Following the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, the EU emphasised the importance for all parties to the Paris Agreement on Climate to submit ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions. In this regard, the Participants welcomed the intention, by the United Nations, of declaring 2025 as the Year of Glacier Preservations within the framework of the SDGs. Participants emphasized the importance of sharing technologies and knowledge related to climate change in Central Asia. The Participants noted the opportunities for EU-Central Asia cooperation with regard to the implementation of the regional program that are part of the Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change.

10. The Participants stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation in Central Asia as the most effective and desirable way of tackling climate and environmental challenges, which know no borders. They recognised the importance of further action in stepping up and promoting such cooperation and fostering political dialogues. The Participants expressed strong appreciation for their participation in the work of the EU–CA Working Group on Environment and Climate Change. The Participants welcomed the holding, by Tajikistan, of the second international High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, in June 2022 in Dushanbe, as well as the upcoming 7th EU–Central Asia High-Level Conference on Environment and Water Cooperation to be held on 22-24 February 2023, in Rome. They welcomed the UN 2023 Water Conference to be organized by the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 22-24 March 2023 in New York. The Participants also recognized the importance of developing mountainous regions. In this regard, participants welcomed the draft resolution of the 77^th UN General Assembly entitled ‘Sustainable Mountain Development’ declaring 2023-2027 the ‘Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions’.
11. The Participants stressed the need to make efforts for a systemic green transformation of their economies and societies, involving directly also sectors such as industry, integrated water resources management, energy, transport and agriculture. They underlined that the environment is a cross-cutting issue and integrating environmental policies into other sectors is of utmost importance. The Participants noted the importance of cooperation in the field of rational use of water resources, combating desertification and land degradation, and cooperation in the introduction of green technologies.

12. The COVID-19 recovery and tackling energy crisis need to be addressed with recognition of environmental challenges. The Participants recognised the importance of building more inclusive and more resilient societies for the health and well-being of citizens. Likewise, they stressed that intensifying the dialogue on sanitary and phytosanitary measures in order to strengthen food safety systems in Central Asian countries would be beneficial for local consumers and business and facilitate trade with the EU.
13. The Participants confirmed their commitment to contribute to the second part of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). They called for reaching agreement on an ambitious global biodiversity framework with clear, measurable and realistic goals and targets and a robust monitoring framework.
14. The Participants welcomed cooperation in education, vocational training and skills development, as a key enabler for the sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development of the region. They also noted the impact on this domain of regional academic cooperation and exchange in the higher education sector fostered by the Erasmus+ programme, with its specific regional budget for EU-Central Asia cooperation. They underlined the key role that science, technology and innovation play in accelerating economic diversification and transformation, improving productivity and competitiveness, as well as enabling the integration of countries of Central Asia in the global economy. The Participants recognised the value of cooperation in international research and innovation, in particular through the scientific collaboration and funding opportunities offered by the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon Europe, and of strengthened interaction between the two regions’ think tanks.
15. The Participants noted the importance of research cooperation, especially in those areas that are most relevant for regional development, including water issues and environmental protection.
16. The Participants underlined the importance of the special focus on vulnerable groups also aimed at ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’ in Central Asia’s sustainable, inclusive and democratic development.
17. The Participants welcomed the proposal to hold an ‘EU-Central Asia Forum on Tourism’ in 2023 in Uzbekistan.
18. The Participants reaffirmed that official statistics, produced and disseminated in line with international statistical methodologies, norms and standards, are essential for evidence-based decision-making and building societal trust. Reliable and trustworthy official statistics are one of the means to fight disinformation, an area considered for further cooperation.
19. The Participants expressed shared ambitions for a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan and voiced concerns about the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis. They noted with great concern that girls continue to be denied their right to education in most parts of Afghanistan and that persons belonging to minorities continue to suffer from targeted attacks and persecution. They called for the promotion and respect of the rule of law, universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, in particular of women and girls – including their right to education – as well as children, and persons belonging to ethnic groups and minorities, and the establishment of an inclusive and representative government  reflecting the ethnic, religious and political diversity of the Afghan society, as necessary for long-term stability. They emphasised the importance of a credible, inclusive political process in this regard. They took note of the proposal to form a high-level international group on the phased implementation (‘algorithm’) of the obligations of the de facto Afghan authorities. The Participants stressed the importance of preventing the Afghan territory from being used as a base for hosting, financing or exporting terrorism to other countries. The Participants also emphasised the importance of continued joint cooperation in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and educational opportunities for Afghans.
20. The Participants looked forward to further intensifying EU-Central Asia cooperation in security, border management and law enforcement, including through use of the Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10), and the Law Enforcement Progamme in Central Asia (LEICA), as well as in the joint fight against terrorism and violent extremism, transnational organised crime, corruption, trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling, trafficking of small arms and light weapons, transnational drug trafficking combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors.
21. They also looked forward to close cooperation on preventing and countering cybersecurity threats and threats from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials. They agreed on the need to do so in line with relevant international conventions, treaties and standards and in accordance with commitments on universal human rights and the rule of law. In this context, the countries of Central Asia in their capacity as parties to the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, called for strengthening of the global dialogue on nuclear security and the use of atomic energy exclusively for peaceful purposes. The Participants expressed willingness to explore the initiative to establish an international Agency for Biological Safety, and, more generally, to cooperate in view of reaching a positive outcome for the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
22. The Participants finally expressed their deep appreciation to Uzbekistan for hosting the 18^th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting and agreed to meet in Brussels in 2023.

[Disclaimer: Turkmenistan’s final approval of this text is pending its internal procedures.]