Central Asia: EU must not brush aside human rights concerns in push for Central Asian resources
The European Parliament today adopted a report on the EU strategy for Central Asia. One key demand of the report is that EU put human rights issues to the forefront of its relations with Central Asian states. Commenting on the report, Green draftsman Cem Özdemir (Germany) said:
"The EU approach towards Central Asia, particularly with regard to the promotion of democracy, has failed and must be changed. The old approach, seeking to promote stability and economic growth in the hope that democracy would follow, has simply not delivered: all five countries are basically in the same situation with former soviet leaders still in power with autocratic regimes. Democracy and human rights must be an integral part of the Central Asia strategy, with partnership only being pursued with the countries who fully engage in this direction. Clear benchmarks, indicators and targets must be set to this end.
"Central Asia has become an area of competition between Russia, China the US and now Europe for its natural resources. The EU arrived late and this poses challenges as regards the promotion of its values, without damaging its interests in the region. The EU strategy must be flexible, combining a global approach with one that recognises the individual specificities of the countries. Specifically, the EU must not ignore serious human rights concerns in its attempt to forge closer relations in the region.
"Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are at the bottom of the class as regards democracy and human rights, being two of the most repressive states in the world. Kyrgyzstan gives more hope for optimism however, with a more open and pluralistic society, despite the persistence of some problems. Kyrgyzstan has the potential to become a model for all the countries of the region but cannot do so without the EU.
"The EU would be well-advised to work closely with Turkey (an EU candidate country) as regards the development and implementation of a common EU strategy for Central Asia. Turkey already has strong roots in the region, with the young elite in Central Asian states having been educated in Turkish schools."
