The UK wants to build partnerships with Uzbekistan and Central Asia and is not asking to choose sides, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during a visit to Tashkent, Gazeta.uz reports.
“Central Asia is an important region of the world. You have very strong neighbors in the region with whom you have partnerships. I’m here to say that we are not asking you to choose between these partners and a country like Great Britain...” Cameron said, answering questions from journalists after a meeting at the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.
“You should have a choice if you want to work with us on education, climate change, business or trade. We want to be here to build those partnerships. We give you a choice, and that, I think, is the most important thing,” he added.
Cameron noted that the UK and Central Asia face similar challenges. “How do we create jobs and make [the country] prosper? How can we ensure that people in our countries have a chance at work and a voice in life? That's what it's all about. And that’s why I’m here today,” the minister emphasized.
David Cameron visited Uzbekistan on April 23 as part of an official visit to all five Central Asian countries and Mongolia. He has already visited Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where he met with Presidents Emomali Rahmon and Sadyr Japarov.
In Tashkent, the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Great Britain signed a Declaration of Comprehensive Cooperation and a Memorandum of Understanding in the areas of regional and international relations and infrastructure. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, the main focus at this meeting was on building up economic ties.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
April 23, 2024