German foreign minister to discuss sanctions, energy with Central Asian counterparts

BERLIN, Feb 9 (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet his counterparts from Central Asian countries in Berlin on Wednesday, said a ministry spokesperson, with themes including energy and Russian sanctions circumvention on the agenda.

The 20th EU sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine could see measures imposed on Central Asian states such as Kyrgyzstan for the first time, as companies from some of these countries are accused of systematically purchasing goods from the bloc and then reselling them to Russia.

As a result, Germany’s trade volume with countries such as Kyrgyzstan has significantly increased since the 2022 invasion.

Wadephul will meet with the foreign ministers from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the spokesperson said on Monday.

The spokesperson did not want to say whether Germany supports EU sanctions against these countries.

“Central Asian states are increasingly important partners for us on many current issues,” including energy diversification, resource security, climate change and measures against Russian sanctions circumvention, the spokesperson said.

The German economy is also interested in raw materials from countries such as Kazakhstan.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Linda Pasquini, editing by Miranda Murray)