President of Uzbekistan Outlines Priority Areas for Multifaceted Cooperation with the EU
On October 19, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala.
The issues of further enhancing Uzbek – European multifaceted relations and strengthening regional interaction were considered. There was an exchange of views on the current international agenda.
The main attention was paid to the development of a constructive political dialogue, promotion of programs and projects of mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade, economic, investment, financial and technical fields, as well as in ecology, education, and tourism.
At the beginning of the meeting, the EU Special Representative has emphasized that the EU highly appreciates and consistently supports continuing the program of irreversible reforms in the New Uzbekistan, aimed at further deepening democratic and socio-economic transformations in the country.
The multifaceted and dynamic nature of bilateral relations, which have reached a qualitatively new level in recent years, were noted with satisfaction.
Evidence of this is the adoption of the updated EU Strategy on Central Asia, granting Uzbekistan the status of a beneficiary of the GSP+ system, as well as initialing the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Trade, economic, and investment cooperation is developing productively. Only during 9 months of this year, mutual trade has grown by 15%. The volume of exports of Uzbek products to the EU countries increased by 70%. The number of joint projects and enterprises in Uzbekistan has exceeded 1,000.
The projects are being implemented with the participation of European investors in high-tech industries such as energy and automotive, agriculture, and other areas.
During the conversation, the importance of developing and implementing programs aimed at promoting sustainable development and strengthening regional connectivity was noted.
The transport sector, innovations, digitalization, green economy, alternative energy and rational water use, and inclusive education were defined as priority areas.
The issues of assisting an early peaceful settlement and socio-economic reconstruction in Afghanistan were also considered.
