Joint Declaration by the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Federal Chancellor of Germany

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On 17 September 2024, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Astana for the second meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

During an open and constructive meeting, the Leaders honoured and reviewed the cooperation between Germany and Central Asian states since last year's meeting.

They emphasized the diverse bilateral cooperation, as well as the German-Central Asian cooperation within the framework of the European Union (EU) and multilateral formats.

The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the German-Central Asian partnership based on shared values, mutual respect and interests and to continue the high-level dialogue.

They particularly stressed the importance of the Strategic Regional Partnership which was established as a result of last year's first meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in Berlin.

The Leaders underlined Central Asian states' strivings in promoting regional cooperation. In this context they highly appreciated the activities of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia, which have contributed significantly to the deepening of multilateral cooperation, strengthening peace and stability, achieving sustainable development and addressing contemporary challenges in the region.

The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together for peace, security, democracy, the rule of law and sustainable development in full respect of international law. The Leaders expressed their continuing commitment to uphold the United Nations Charter, in particular the principles of respect for the independence, state sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, the non-use of force or threat of its use, and the peaceful settlement of international disputes.

The Leaders underlined that a peaceful resolution of conflicts, crisis management efforts, diplomacy and constructive dialogue are essential.

As with regard to any conflict, the Leaders expressed support for a just and durable peace based on respect for international law, the principles of the United Nations Charter, territorial integrity, and sovereignty as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Leaders emphasized the significance of close exchanges on sanctions regimes, including dialogue with the EU, and of further efforts to prevent the evasion of sanctions.

The Leaders recalled the significance of combatting global challenges like climate change, glaciers melting, global health or food security as well as complex threats facing societies and economies such as terrorism, illicit trafficking of drugs and their precursors, organized crime, illicit financial flows and the financing of terrorism, arms proliferation as well as cyber security and hybrid threats like disinformation. They agreed to explore possibilities for deepening cooperation in these fields.

The Leaders welcomed the intensification of relations between the Central Asian countries and the EU and emphasized the continued significance of the EU Strategy for Central Asia. They welcomed the Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia agreed upon in October 2023.

The Leaders stressed the importance of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Central Asia, playing a significant role in border-management cooperation to jointly combat small arms proliferation risks, terrorist threats, human trafficking, cyber incidents and in climate and environmental protection. They commended Germany's commitment and continued support to the OSCE in these areas in Central Asia. The Leaders took note of Germany's contribution to the OSCE Response to the Implications of Afghanistan for the OSCE Region Framework (RIAOR).

The Leaders expressed their appreciation for Germany's stabilisation commitment, including extremism prevention and cross-border cooperation as two focus areas. The Chancellor informed about the Prevention of Violent Extremism in Central Asia Programme in place with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan since 2020 and with Kyrgyzstan since 2023.

The Leaders expressed their interest in further exploring possibilities for active exchange of information, experiences and best practices in the area of deradicalization and prevention of extremism among youth.

The Leaders stated their readiness to consider exchange on recruitment, training, and qualification enhancement of law enforcement personnel, including best-practice and training possibilities of the German Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre.

Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, the Leaders agreed on the necessity of provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and acknowledged the efforts of the international community, including the UN, the EU as well as Germany and the Central Asian states, in this field. The Leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a secure, peaceful, stable and prosperous country that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghanistan citizens, in particular women, girls and ethnic groups. They underlined the importance of an inclusive and representative government with the active participation of all ethnic, confessional and political groups, of respect and protection of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghanistan citizens as well as the restoration of the economy in achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The Leaders emphasized the importance of the UN-led "Doha Format" on Afghanistan and other multilateral formats and expressed their readiness to further coordinate internationally.

The Leaders expressed their commitment to cooperate within the framework of the UN and stressed the importance of preserving and strengthening the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Based on the strong economic growth with continuously increasing bilateral trade volumes between Germany and the five Central Asian states, the Leaders agreed to further explore promising areas for cooperation and to take respective measures, including cooperation in the fields of natural resources, ecology, environmental protection, energy including renewable energy, agriculture, chemical industries, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies as well as the training of skilled workers.

The Leaders reiterated their interest in possible cooperation in the area of migration and expressed their readiness to further expand cooperation in the area of vocational education.

The Leaders agreed to promote cooperation and development of the Trans Caspian Corridor as a sustainable and efficient multimodal transport link between Central Asia and Europe and support the participation of German railway and logistics companies in transport, infrastructure and consulting projects.

The Leaders underlined the importance of improving railway connectivity in the region and agreed to also further develop the Trans-Caspian Corridor thus contributing to achieving the goals of the EU's Global Gateway Strategy in the region.

The Leaders highlighted the importance of resilient supply chains between Central Asia and Germany, in particular, to secure energy resources and trade.

The Leaders agreed to strengthen their energy cooperation and to profit from each other's experiences in bolstering security of supply and transforming energy systems. They acknowledged that a close and trustful cooperation and an ambitious energy transition are key to combat climate change while, at the same time, increasing energy security.

The Leaders underlined that the Central Asia region has a high potential for renewable energies and green hydrogen production. Hence, the German H2 diplomacy office in Astana has established and intensified its regional portfolio. The Leaders also welcomed and underlined the importance of existing German support regional programmes for the energy transition.

Taking into consideration the significant impacts of climate change on the natural environment, societies and economies of Central Asia, the Leaders underscored the urgent need for enhanced cross-border cooperation. They emphasized the importance of joint initiatives to protect glaciers, ecology in mountainous areas, conserve water resources, and promote sustainable development practices. They agreed to further deepen their long-standing cooperation in these areas, including within the framework of the projects of the Team Europe initiative "Water, Energy, Climate Change" between Germany and Central Asia.

The Leaders underlined the significance of the cooperation in the framework of the Green Central Asia Initiative and appreciated the continued German support of joint scientific projects with Central Asian partners in the research fields of renewable and sustainable energy, climate change adaptation, climate and environmental risks, as well as water management.

The Leaders welcomed the further development of the Central Asian Nature Partnership, to be launched jointly by Germany and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development promoting water investments and nature-positive business strategies and investments. They furthermore welcomed regional activities on water.

The Leaders emphasized the significance to continue joint efforts to address environmental, economic, social and energy problems, including those caused by the Aral Sea crisis and intensive glacier melting. The Chancellor recalled the participation of Germany in the projects to improve the efficient and rational use of water resources, via the introduction of water-saving technologies, as well as donor projects for climate change combating, mitigation and resilience, including those within the framework of the International Fund for the Saving of the Aral Sea (IFAS).

The Leaders underlined the importance of people to people contacts between their countries, including cooperation in the fields of science and higher education, language and culture exchange, youth, sport and preserving historical and cultural heritage.

The Leaders emphasized the need to intensify interaction between think tanks and civil society organizations. They confirmed their support for a regional civil society conference in Berlin in November 2024.

The Leaders supported the German proposition to convene a Foreign Ministers' meeting in Germany in Spring 2025.

The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Heads of State of Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan expressed their appreciation to the President of Kazakhstan for organizing the meeting in Astana. The Leaders agreed to promote further contacts.

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