The European Union and Central Asian states must work together and find collaborative solutions to meet the challenges that climate change presents, High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell said Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2020) The European Union and Central Asian states must work together and find collaborative solutions to meet the challenges that climate change presents, High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell said Tuesday.
Borrell spoke at the launch of Germany's Green Central Asia project. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was also in attendance at the public event, which set out Berlin's plans to work with the EU to strengthen Central Asia's climate resilience.
"Climate change is a geopolitical challenge. It affects all of us; it affects our security. Central Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. If we take decisive action now, we can avoid predictable - and predicted - disasters coming our way. We need to step up science-based, collaborative solutions across the region," Borrell said during his speech.
Brussels' top diplomat praised the EU's record on climate change, noting that EU member states accounted for just 9 percent of global carbon emissions, and under new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's leadership, signed the so-called European Green Deal.
Borrell stated that the EU's experience could be of benefit to Central Asia, which has seen significant shifts in average temperatures, land and soil erosion, and increased water scarcity.
"In these efforts, the EU is and will be a real partner for Central Asia and Afghanistan. Let us hope that we will be able to go from theoretical speeches to practical activities, using our expertise and resources to turn ideas into action, on behalf of all of us and humankind as a whole," Borrell remarked.
He also made reference to the EU's new strategy on Central Asia, adopted in June. The strategy, which states that Brussels' cooperation is contingent on democratizing and modernizing reforms in many Central Asian states, sets the scope for growing economic and strategic partnership between the two regions.
According to a European Parliament report published in January 2019, the EU Development Cooperation Instrument has provided 1.1 billion Euros in funding ($1.2 billion) to Central Asian countries over the last six years.
