With an eye on rich natural resources and overland trade routes, Brussels, Beijing, and Washington are all vying for influence in the five Central Asian states.
Speaking recently in Kazakhstan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described Central Asia as a vital “crossroads” between East and West—a region, she said, that plays a “strategic role in the global scenario.”
Her remarks were more than mere diplomatic hyperbole. Along with being rich in natural resources, Central Asia is home to several emerging transit routes poised to change the dynamics of trade between Asia and Europe.