The interests of the European Union in Central Asia

Abstract

Práce představuje analýzu existujících vztahů mezi regionem Střední Asie, obzvláště republikou Kazachstán, a dalšími mezinárodními aktéry jako je Čína, Rusko, Spojené státy, Irán, Turecko a dalšími a také jejich interakcí s EU ohledně Kazachstánu a dalších části regionu Střední Asie. V závěru je představena analýza existujících problémů ve vztazích mezi EU a regionem Střední Asie, obzvláště republikou Kazachstán obecně, a také možná řešení těchto problémů a doporučení pro zefektivnění spolupráce mezi těmito dvěma oblastmi.

1 Abstract Central Asia is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The region includes five different countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The countries differ in the terms of the economic development, and a degree of the openness of the national economies, as well as in the foreign trade and the orientation of the foreign policy. Some states of the region belong to the poorest countries of the world while the others keep a quite successful way of the economic development. In the region there are countries which retain sufficiently isolated from the world economy (such as Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Kazakhstan which formed an open liberal economy since gaining the independence. Also there are countries which focused on the development of cooperation with Europe as well as the other regions abroad and at the same time there are countries aimed at preserving and developing the deeper ties with neighboring Russia and China. In June 2007 the European Council of the EU adopted a new strategy towards Central Asia for the period from 2007 to 2013. And despite the strategy is short-term, yet it is a political document (Council of the European Union, 2007). In accordance with the adopted «Strategy for a New Partnership» the EU engages with the region in many areas,...