The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced this Friday in Samarcanda (Uzbekistan) an investment package of 12,000 million euros with the aim of launching a new portfolio of projects towards a region that has 40% of the world manganese reserves, in addition to lithium, graphite and other raw materials of interest to the block.
“Some are only interested in exploiting and extracting them,” said the German leader during her speech at the first summit between the EU and Central Asia, while defended that the offer of Europe is “different” because it also seeks to be a partner in the development of local industries.
“Mutual support commitment”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission
Von der Leyen has highlighted the “strategic location” of Central Asia, which considers that “it can open global trade routes and investment flows” with “new investments that will strengthen sovereignty”, which is why this Friday both actors have established their new strategic association as “commitment to mutual support.”
New opportunities in digital, energy, security or tourism sector
“This association will strengthen the links between our two regions, it will generate new cooperation opportunities, either in the energy sector or security, from digital to tourism and will link people from all our regions,” said the president of the Community Executive, aware that “having reliable partners has never been so important.”
“An untreated potential for business between the two regions”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission
In this regard, he recalled that in 2024 the EU has already compromised 10,000 million euros to the Transcaspio Transportation Corridor, which will release “an unspecified potential for the businesses between both regions” and has also announced that a new forum of investors will be held in Uzbekistan in 2025.
Likewise, von der Leyen has highlighted the ability of Central to become a clean energy center with wind in Kazakhstan, the plot in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and the hydroelectric plant in Tayikistan and Kyrgyzist, in addition to the geothermal throughout the region.
“Sufficient clean energy could be produced for the economy and export and part of this energy could be converted into clean hydrogen,” German politics has influenced, who has advocated expanding cooperation between both partners to boost “the energy independence of Central Asia and the global clean energy transition.”
