Italian premier to visit Central Asia ahead of summit in Kazakhstan

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will embark on an official visit to Central Asia later this week, ahead of a regional summit scheduled to take place in the Kazakh capital Astana, according to an official statement.

A statement by Kazakhstan’s presidential press service Akorda early Monday said Meloni will arrive in the country for a two-day visit on Saturday, at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

“During the high-level negotiations, the parties plan to discuss the prospects for the development of the Kazakh-Italian strategic partnership,” the statement further said.

The Kazakh capital will host the first Italy-Central Asia summit on Sunday, which will be held a couple of weeks after the inaugural EU-Central Asia summit held in Uzbekistan earlier this month, it added.

The premier’s Kazakhstan visit is also noted on the website of the Italian government, which separately mentions that Meloni will arrive in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on a two-day visit, starting on Friday.

The Uzbek side has yet to officially confirm Meloni's visit.

Meloni’s visit and the upcoming summit will take place as the EU and Central Asian countries agreed to upgrade their relations by establishing a strategic partnership following the 1st EU-Central Asia summit in Samarkand on April 4.