Chancellor Olaf Scholz will head to Central Asia for the primary time, amid the continued Russia-Ukraine warfare, his spokesman mentioned Friday.
Scholz will go to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from Sept. 15 to 17, his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit mentioned, and attend a regional summit.
The journey comes a yr after Scholz hosted the leaders of 5 Central Asian nations in Berlin to debate nearer cooperation, because the West tussles with China and Russia for affect within the area.
“Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are key countries and close partners for us,” Hebestreit mentioned.
“We seek to deepen our cooperation with them, especially in the fields of science, economy, energy, connectivity and raw materials,” he mentioned.
Scholz may also participate in a so-called C5+1 assembly in Kazakhstan on Sept. 17 with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
Scholz will probably be accompanied on the journey by an financial delegation, the spokesman added.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has additional elevated main powers’ curiosity in Central Asia, the place Moscow is in search of to take care of its sway and the place China now has sturdy ties by means of its flagship Belt and Road infrastructure mission.
The West can be vying for affect within the strategically essential area, wealthy in oil and fuel and an important transport route between Asia and Europe.
Source: www.dailysabah.com