The European Union says it is entering a "new era" in its relationship with Central Asian nations following a summit aimed at making inroads in a region dominated by Russia and China.
Speaking on the last day of the summit, held in Uzbekistan's ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a deluge of global tariffs laid out by US President Donald Trump on April 3 showed the importance of building relations in a new era.
"We are at another turning point. New global barriers arise, investments are being redirected, powers around the world are carving up new spheres of influence," von der Leyen emphasized in a speech on April 4.
"Reliable partners have never been so important. We want to explore new avenues."
SEE ALSO: EU Aims To Elevate Ties With Central Asia At Landmark Samarkand SummitThe two-day summit involving the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, comes as traditional ally Russia and neighboring China vie for influence, while the region also eyes deeper ties with the West.
Central Asia is interested in Europe's advanced industrial technology -- which Russia and China struggle to provide -- while Brussels eyes the region's precious natural resources.
Von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU's 10 billion euro investment in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), a project that could potentially halve the travel time between Europe and Central Asia while bypassing Russia.
Von der Leyen also declared an additional 12 billion-euro investment in the Global Gateway to kick-start a new digital and infrastructural development project set.
The investment is aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade, tying the five Central Asian nations closer to European markets and opening a route to access the region's richness in critical raw materials such as uranium, copper, coal, zinc, titanium, manganese, lithium, graphite.
"We want to be partners not just in extraction but in building up local industries," von der Leyen said.
SEE ALSO: Russian Crackdown On Central Asian Migrants Continues A Year After Moscow Terror AttackCentral Asian leaders have been trying to maintain a balance with Moscow and Beijing while also developing ties with Europe.
But they've also been looking to open up borders among themselves following decades of underdeveloped relations.
"Seven or eight years ago, borders between states were closed. There was no trade, no transit, no business… Relations were frozen," Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who was chairing the summit, said.
"Nobody would have imagined that we could unite to represent the region at negotiations with European leaders," he said.
Mirziyoev has opened up Uzbekistan after he came to power in 2016 following decades of isolation under his predecessor Islam Karimov.