Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the countries in Central Asia (CA) became acutely aware of the severe limitations related to their transportation routes. With heavy dependence on Moscow, CA countries decided to engage in diversification of their import- export channels. For Bishkek and Tashkent such attempts resulted in the renewed interest in advancing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project.
On account of strategic position of Central Asian countries between Europe and Asia, the European Union is becoming ever more actively interested in a stable partnership with the countries of Central Asia, and seeks to develop relations not only with Central Asia as a whole, but also with each individual state in the region