The first summit involving the heads of Central Asian states and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be held on May 30 in Astana. On the same day, the Italian Prime Minister will undertake an official visit to Kazakhstan. This was reported by the press service of qazinform.com.

Meloni had initially planned to visit Uzbekistan, then Kazakhstan, and participate in a summit with the heads of Central Asian countries from April 25-27. However, due to the death of Pope Francis on April 21 and the subsequent mourning events, the visits were postponed.

Summits in this format, where the leaders of the Central Asian "quintet" — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — meet with the head of another state, have been held for several years. Similar high-level events also take place with the participation of foreign ministers or other departmental heads. This summer, a Central Asia-China summit is also planned to be held in Astana, and in autumn, a Central Asia-Russia summit will take place in Dushanbe.