On April 4, a declaration on the outcomes of the European Union–Central Asia Summit held in Samarkand was adopted. The document reflects the intention to elevate cooperation between the two regions to the level of strategic partnership, both on regional and global scales. The parties also expressed satisfaction with the progress made in this direction in recent times. The document also states that the participants of the meeting are committed to cooperation with UN member states based on the principles of peace, security, international law, respect for internationally recognized borders, democracy, adherence to the UN Charter, and respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The summit may not have mentioned Cyprus by name, but its implications on the Northern Cyprus issue are unmistakable. Wrapped within broad affirmations of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the joint declaration indirectly echoed the EU's longstanding stance on the island’s division — a stance rooted in UN resolutions 541 and 550, which label Türkiye as an occupying force and recognize only the Republic of Cyprus as legitimate.

The four Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan — endorsed this language despite their close........

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