Germany is forging a strategic partnership with Central Asia - focusing on the economy, energy and climate

Germany is forging a strategic partnership with Central Asia - focusing on the economy, energy and climate

As www.zeit.de reports, Germany has entered into a strategic partnership with the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia. This partnership aims to consolidate and enhance the cooperation that has existed for 30 years. The focus of the partnership is on the areas of economy and energy, climate and environment, regional cooperation and direct exchange between citizens. The raw materials that the Central Asian states have to offer are particularly interesting for Germany. This comes against the backdrop of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has led Germany to reduce its economic dependence on Russia and China.

The partnership offers Germany the opportunity to compensate for the loss of energy supplies from Russia and to develop new sources of raw materials. Gas-rich Turkmenistan and resource-rich Kazakhstan in particular could serve as potential partners for energy supplies and the production of hydrogen from renewable energies. The area of ​​the Central Asian states is around eleven times larger than that of Germany and roughly corresponds to the area of ​​the entire European Union with its 27 member states. Together they have almost 80 million inhabitants, which is similar to Germany.

Germany's new focus on Central Asia comes at the right time for the region, as it has previously been in the shadow of the two major powers China and Russia. The intensified ties could mean new trade opportunities and stronger economic ties with the West for the Central Asian states. However, the states are in an economic balancing act because, on the one hand, they are closely linked to Russia, but on the other hand they support the sanctions regime of the Western states against Russia.

The partnership with the Central Asian states is therefore an important step for Germany to reposition itself economically and reduce its dependence on Russia and China. It also opens up new opportunities for the German market and the financial sector as the country gains access to new raw materials and trading partners. According to a report from www.zeit.de.