Uzbekistan proposes long-term roadmap for Central Asia–EU cooperation

On April 4, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated during the first “Central Asia–European Union” summit that a historic decision would be made to establish a strategic partnership between the two regions.

Photo: Presidential Press Service

“A historic decision will be adopted at the conclusion of this summit to establish a strategic partnership between Central Asia and the European Union. We believe it is essential to jointly develop and adopt a set of comprehensive measures to implement the provisions of the forthcoming document.

I am confident that our strategic partnership must be enriched with concrete decisions, projects, and programs. In this regard, we propose to consider signing a full-fledged agreement on partnership and cooperation between our two regions,” said the President of Uzbekistan.

The head of state also proposed holding regular meetings of foreign ministers to develop joint positions on important international and regional issues, revitalizing inter-parliamentary relations by establishing a “Central Asia–European Union” Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Forum and organizing its inaugural session in Uzbekistan this autumn. He also suggested expanding cooperation between leading think tanks.

President Mirziyoyev fully supported the proposal to hold the summit every two years. To ensure the timely implementation of agreements and maintain systematic coordination, he expressed Uzbekistan’s readiness to assume the functions of the summit secretariat until the next meeting.