EU’S NEW APPROACH TO THE STRATEGY CENTRAL ASIA – AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

The article examines new aspects of the EU’s strategy towards Afghanistan – Central Asia aimed at stabilizing the region as a whole. New elements of the EU’s strategy towards Central Asia are connected with the EU desire to modernize it with the aim to assure synchronous stabilization of Afghanistan and the states of Central Asia in the context of negative repercussions of the Afghan crisis. The article underlines the view of some experts that Central Asia and Afghanistan have common interests in maintaining security and stability in the region as well as in developing mutually advantageous cooperation covering both Central Asia and Afghanistan. Based on these premises the EU tries to integrate Afghanistan into political dialogue between EU and Central Asia as well as into EU’s regional projects. In this context the EU considers as a matter of priority a transition to a trilateral model of political and economic cooperation in the format EU – Central Asia – Afghanistan on the basis of regional connectivity. According to the author, stabilization of Afghanistan and Central Asia will be heavily dependent on the ability of the EU as the largest western donor to Afghanistan to revive the Afghan economy in a speedy manner and to provide effective development assistance for post conflict reconstruction of the country. Special attention was devoted to research on EU’s policy on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the context of reducing challenges to the EU’ security stemming from potential largescale irregular migration, terrorism and narcotraffic. The article envisages that the EU further development assistance to Afghanistan would be more related to the concept of the EU’s strategic autonomy.