First Central Asia-EU summit opens in Samarkand (photo)

Today, April 4, the first "Central Asia – European Union" summit commenced at the Congress Center in Samarkand.

European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, and Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov arrived at the Congress Center to participate in the summit.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed the leaders. After the welcoming ceremony and a group photo, the heads of delegations proceeded to the hall for the summit.

On April 2, António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Samarkand for the first high-level "Central Asia – European Union" summit. That evening, Mirziyoyev held an informal meeting with António Costa, followed by another meeting with Ursula von der Leyen on April 3.

After the Uzbekistan-Europe high-level negotiations, a joint tree-planting ceremony was held. Mirziyoyev, Costa, and von der Leyen planted two oak trees in the Congress Center Boulevard in Samarkand. The leaders also visited the "Eternal City" historical and ethnographic complex at the Samarkand International Tourism Center.

Yesterday, April 3, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also arrived in Samarkand. President Mirziyoyev held meetings with these leaders as well.