Christian and Theo sat down with Terhi Hakala, the EU’s former Special Representative for Central Asia and a senior European diplomat with decades of experience on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the wider Eurasian region. Having also served as the EU Ambassador to Russia and in key roles at the UN and OSCE, Hakala offers a rare insider perspective on geopolitics at Europe’s eastern frontier.In this conversation, they explore why Central Asia matters, whether the region can be treated as a single bloc, and how global players — from Russia, the EU, the US, and China — compete for influence. They discuss Russia’s evolving role, Europe’s vision for the region, energy security and gas supply diversification, border protection, and intelligence dynamics. The episode also dives into EU–Central Asia relations, lessons from Europe’s past dependence on Russia, regional conflicts such as Armenia–Azerbaijan, internal relations among Central Asian states, domestic politics and leadership, the role of religion, youth and education, economic realities, China’s growing footprint through initiatives like Global Gateway, and what Europe should do next.