Senior EU officials will visit Turkmenistan this week to enhance collaboration with Central Asia, an area abundant in energy resources that is crucial for Europe's goal of diversifying energy sources and reducing reliance on Russia. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, along with the French and Slovenian foreign ministers, will engage with Central Asian leaders in Ashgabat on April 9-10 to discuss various topics such as fuel and democracy. Despite being home to significant oil and gas reserves, the region is known for authoritarian governance, leading to criticism from the West regarding democracy and human rights issues. The EU views Central Asia as a valuable energy source as it seeks to decrease dependence on Russia, which currently provides a quarter of the EU's energy needs. The EU stated that progress is being made in implementing its strategy and is collaborating with regional partners on joint priorities for future actions, as preparations are made for the upcoming talks likely to be held in private. Some activists and politicians claim that the West prioritizes energy over democracy in their interactions with Central Asia, a claim that Western governments deny. Human Rights Watch, based in the U.S., has urged the EU to prioritize human rights standards in their policies towards Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The organization believes that Central Asia is home to some of the most oppressive former Soviet states and that the EU should work towards improvement in the region by setting clear benchmarks for progress. Kazakhstan, being the largest economy in the region with a stable investment climate, is the main focus of Western attention. It has received substantial investments, but has never had an election deemed free and fair by Western observers. Turkmenistan, a reclusive country slowly emerging from isolation, has indicated a desire for closer ties with the West and increased reform. However, analysts are skeptical about the new president's commitment to real change. In 2007, Uzbekistan was labeled by the United States as one of the world's top violators of human rights, but this year it received praise from the West for pardoning 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 appreciation. However, the focus should not be solely on these specific incidents, but rather on the overall dire situation of human rights in both individual Central Asian countries and the region as a whole.