Central Asian leaders to hold summit with Italy in Astana

The first Central Asia–Italy summit will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, on April 27, according to the press service of Akorda.

It is reported that the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on April 26–27 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

“During the high-level talks, the parties plan to discuss the prospects for developing the Kazakh–Italian strategic partnership,” the statement said.

For reference, the first Central Asia–European Union summit was held in Samarkand on April 3–4 of this year. It was attended by the leaders of the Central Asian states, as well as by the President of the European Council, António Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso. As a result of the summit, relations between the European Union and Central Asia were elevated to the level of a strategic partnership.

Previously, the C5+1 summit with European countries was held twice with Germany: the first took place in Berlin on September 29, 2023, and the second in Astana on September 17, 2024.

It was also reported earlier that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would pay an official visit to Samarkand on April 25–26.