Senior EU officials will visit Turkmenistan this week to enhance cooperation with Central Asia, a region abundant in energy resources that is crucial to Europe's goal of diversifying energy supplies and reducing reliance on Russia. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, along with the French and Slovenian foreign ministers, will engage in discussions with Central Asian leaders in Ashgabat on April 9-10, covering topics such as fuel and democracy. Despite being home to significant oil and gas reserves, the region is often governed by authoritarian regimes, leading to criticism from the West regarding democracy and human rights issues. The EU views Central Asia as a promising new energy source as it seeks to lessen its dependence on Russia, which currently provides a quarter of the bloc's energy. The EU stated that the implementation of its strategy is progressing, with joint priorities papers being developed in collaboration with regional partners for future actions, as preparations are made for the upcoming talks, likely to be conducted in private. Certain activists and politicians have claimed that the West prioritizes energy over democracy in their dealings with Central Asia, an accusation that Western governments have refuted. A U.S.-based organization, Human Rights Watch, has called on the EU to prioritize the promotion of human rights in their regional policy towards Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The organization highlighted that Central Asia is home to some of the most oppressive states from the former Soviet Union, and recommended that the EU take advantage of the opportunity to bring about positive changes in the region. They also suggested that establishing clear benchmarks will give the strategy a more defined focus. Kazakhstan, being the largest economy in the region with a stable investment climate, is the primary area of interest for Western countries. It has received billions of dollars in investment, but has not yet had an election considered free and fair by Western observers. Turkmenistan, which has been isolated for many years, is beginning to open up and has expressed interest in building closer relationships with the West and implementing more reforms. However, some analysts doubt the new president's dedication to real change. In 2007, Uzbekistan was labeled by the United States as one of the world's most consistent violators of human rights, but this year it received positive feedback from the West for releasing six imprisoned activists and showing more willingness to address human rights concerns. Human Rights Watch acknowledged that some progress in the region is deserving of recognition and is welcomed. However, these issues should not overshadow the widespread poor human rights conditions in each Central Asian country and throughout the region.