Senior EU officials will visit Turkmenistan this week to enhance collaboration with Central Asia, a region abundant in energy resources that is crucial to Europe's goal of diversifying its energy sources and reducing reliance on Russia. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, along with the French and Slovenian foreign ministers, will convene with their Central Asian counterparts in Ashgabat on April 9-10 to discuss various topics including fuel and democracy. Despite being home to significant oil and gas reserves, the region is known for its authoritarian governments, leading to criticism from the West regarding democracy and human rights issues. The EU views Central Asia as a promising energy source as it aims to lessen its dependence on Russia, which currently supplies a quarter of the bloc's energy needs. The EU has stated that the implementation of its strategy is progressing, and it is collaborating with regional partners on joint priorities papers for future actions. Some activists and politicians claim that the West prioritizes energy over democracy in their dealings with Central Asia, a charge that has been denied by Western governments. Human Rights Watch, based in the U.S., has called on the EU to prioritize the promotion of human rights in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in their regional policies. The organization believes that Central Asia is home to some of the most oppressive states from the former Soviet Union and that the EU should work towards making improvements in the region. They suggest that setting clear benchmarks will help guide the strategy. Kazakhstan, with its strong economy and stable investment climate, is of particular interest to Western nations in the region. It has received significant investment but has never had an election considered free and fair by Western observers. Turkmenistan, which has been isolated for many years, is slowly beginning to open up and has expressed interest in strengthening ties with the West and implementing more reforms. However, experts are skeptical about the new president's dedication to real change. In 2007, Uzbekistan was labeled by the United States as one of the "most systematic human rights violators" in the world, but this year it received praise from Western countries for releasing six imprisoned activists and showing a greater willingness to address human rights issues. Human Rights Watch acknowledged that some positive developments in the region are deserving of recognition and support. However, the focus should not be solely on these incidents, as they do not overshadow the overall dire situation of human rights in each Central Asian country and the region as a whole.