October 15, 2013

Lecture by Patricia Flor, EU Special Representative for Central Asia

Speaking at ICDS on October 15, 2013, EU Special Representative for Central Asia Patricia Flor gave a comprehensive overview of the European Union’s engagement with Central Asian states. She highlighted Europe’s interest in close cooperation with the resource-rich region, while also acknowledging a variety of challenges that include drug trafficking, political extremism, human rights violations, and political reform issues.

15.10.2013
Speaking at ICDS on October 15, 2013, EU Special Representative for Central Asia Patricia Flor gave a comprehensive overview of the European Union’s engagement with Central Asian states. She highlighted Europe’s interest in close cooperation with the resource-rich region, while also acknowledging a variety of challenges that include drug trafficking, political extremism, human rights violations, and political reform issues.
The Special Representative also underlined the importance of both Russia and China to EU policy on Central Asia, since both are major economic and military players in the region. Turning to relations within the region, Ambassador Flor addressed the issue of the Customs Union and the CSTO before noting that difficulties in regional cooperation at times have hindered problem-solving efforts. Flor concluded by encouraging Estonia and the other Baltic states to continue their active engagement in Central Asia, especially in promoting reforms—suggesting police reform as one particular area for future work in the region.

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