Interests and Values in the EU Policy towards Central Asia

Central Asia has become an important direction of the European Union (EU) foreign policy due to the security threats posed by the region, its strategic geographical position and abundant reserves of natural resources. What is more, researchers have become increasingly interested in the priorities of the EU foreign policy in Central Asia and in the evolution of factors which influence the interaction between two actors. However, there appears to be little research on the conflict between strategic interests and norms in the EU foreign policy in Central Asia as a key determinant of its effectiveness. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by examining the evolution of the contradiction between norms and interests in the EU policy in the region, its influence on the main characteristics of the policy. This research will employ multi-method research design using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Furthermore, to collect relevant data we will utilize observation of articles, reports and official documents, connected with the research problem. To analyze the aforementioned sources, we will employ content-analysis and comparative historical analysis.