UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 06th April 2025

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EU–Central Asia Summit at Samarkand

Why in News?

The First Central Asia–EU Summit in Samarkand signifies a pivotal moment in Eurasian affairs, with the European Union asserting itself in a region long influenced by Russia and China. This engagement—symbolically rooted in the legacy of the Silk Road—signals a deeper ambition to reshape connectivity, trade, and regional alignments.

Geopolitical Context and Strategic Undertones

Shift from the margins to the center: Central Asia, once overshadowed by Soviet and post-Soviet geopolitics, is now drawing renewed attention due to its energy resources, mineral wealth, and transit potential.
Samarkand’s symbolic revival: As a crossroads of civilizations, hosting the summit in Samarkand reflects an attempt to reclaim historical agency and regional pride.
European recalibration: The EU’s outreach is driven by the need to diversify energy routes post-Ukraine war, reduce dependency on Russian infrastructure, and respond to China’s growing regional footprint.

Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC): Reimagining the Silk Road

Bypasses Russian routes: The corridor is a strategic transport alternative connecting Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea and South Caucasus.
Economic potential: It’s projected to boost regional GDP by 3–5% by 2030, creating new trade linkages and enhancing connectivity.
Challenges:
- Massive investment needs (~$20–30 billion).
- Risks of Russian and Chinese backlash, including economic or diplomatic countermeasures.
- Dependence on multilateral coordination and sustainable financing.

Green Energy and Climate Diplomacy

Central Asia’s green potential:
- Vast solar and wind resources, especially in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
- EU’s €1.5 billion Water and Energy Program aims to modernize irrigation, expand clean energy, and promote climate resilience.
Climate alignment: The initiative complements the EU Green Deal and positions Brussels as a global leader in climate partnerships.
Limitations:
- Institutional weaknesses in regulatory frameworks.
- Risk of hydropolitical tensions, e.g., over hydropower between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- Reluctance to reform state-dominated energy sectors.

Digital Connectivity – Competing Infrastructures

C4CA Initiative (Connecting Central Asia):
- Promotes broadband development, e-governance, cybersecurity.
- Offers an alternative to China’s Digital Silk Road, countering surveillance-heavy technologies.
Economic boost: Digital modernization could empower SMEs and startups, modernize state services, and improve transparency.
Challenges:
- Digital sovereignty concerns in authoritarian regimes.
- Resistance to adopting EU data norms.
- Risk of digital inequality, especially in rural and remote areas.

Institutional and Normative Engagement

Support for WTO integration: The EU backs Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization, aligning regional economies with global norms.
Cultural diplomacy: Includes educational exchanges, heritage conservation, and soft power initiatives to build people-to-people connections.
Frictions likely:
- EU’s human rights and governance conditionalities may clash with authoritarian governance models.
- Difficult balance between normative diplomacy and realpolitik.

Implications for India

India stands to benefit strategically and economically from this growing CA–EU partnership, provided it acts proactively:

Strategic alignment: The EU’s presence helps balance China’s regional dominance, aligning with India’s multi-vector approach.
Energy cooperation: India can explore trilateral ventures in renewables and grid integration, tapping into EU funding and Central Asian resources.
Digital infrastructure synergy: India’s digital stack (e.g., UPI, Aadhaar) offers a middle path between Western regulatory models and Chinese tech centralization—a potential area for joint projects.
Geoeconomic linkages: India’s existing investments in Chabahar Port and interest in the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) complement the EU’s corridor projects.
Shared concerns on security: A more connected and stable Central Asia serves India’s long-term interests in regional security and counterterrorism, especially post-Afghanistan withdrawal.

Balancing Ambition with Reality

While the EU’s engagement is couched in the language of cooperation and mutual benefit, deeper concerns persist:

Critics point to the risk of modern economic extraction, particularly in the race for critical minerals.
The narrative of connectivity, if not carefully grounded in local ownership, could replay older patterns of dependency.
The region’s complex post-Soviet identity—as reflected in Hamid Ismailov’s The Railway—underscores the tension between tradition, sovereignty, and modernization.

Conclusion

The First CA–EU Summit is not just a diplomatic milestone but a test of whether regional partnerships can be forged on equitable terms. As Persian poet Hafez warned, “The world is a bridge—pass over it, but build no house upon it.” The EU and Central Asian states must treat this moment not as a conquest or competition, but as an opportunity to create resilient, adaptive, and inclusive frameworks for cooperation in a changing world.