Transcript of the press conference in German only

“Central Asia is gaining importance and it is essential for Germany, as a large Central European country, to be available as a business partner and a partner for the countries of Central Asia,” said Federal Chancellor Scholz following a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

The Federal Chancellor reported that he had had many very good discussions in Kazakhstan, and that these were extremely important for Kazakhstan’s future and Germany’s economic development alike.

The most important points from the Federal Chancellor’s press statement:

• Deepening economic relations: Federal Chancellor Scholz and President Tokayev discussed opportunities for using critical raw materials that are available in Kazakhstan, and how Germany can assist in their extraction by contributing technological know-how. Another issue addressed was crude oil supply for Germany, in particular for the PCK refinery in Schwedt. 
• Russia’s war against Ukraine: The Federal Chancellor stressed that it continued to be essential to explore options for a peaceful solution. Discussion formats such as the Bürgenstock conference in Switzerland, in particular, had ended with the shared opinion that another conference was needed with Russia’s involvement. Scholz pointed out that amidst all these discussions, we must always bear one thing in mind: “It was Russia who not only started the war but who is continuing it and who could contribute to its end at any time by stopping its acts of aggression.”

The Federal Chancellor’s trip to Central Asia: On Sunday, Federal Chancellor Scholz set out on his three-day trip (15 to 17 September) to Central Asia, which began with a visit to the city of Sarmakand in Uzbekistan. From there he travelled on to Astana on Monday. As part of his visit to the Kazakh capital, he attended the German-Kazakh business forum. On Tuesday there will be bilateral talks with the heads of state of the so-called Z5 states – the five Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The “Z5+1” summit on Tuesday will also include a multilateral meeting between the group of states and Germany.