On January 23, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held his first phone conversation with the new President of the European Council, António Costa, Gazeta.uz reports.
The discussion covered pressing issues on the bilateral and regional agenda.
President Mirziyoyev congratulated António Costa on his election as President of the European Council.
“With great satisfaction, it was noted that in recent years, Uzbek-European multifaceted cooperation has reached the highest level and continues to develop dynamically across all priority dimensions,” the statement reads.
In 2024, Uzbekistan's trade turnover with EU countries exceeded €6 billion, and the project portfolio with European companies reached €30 billion.
Last year, an agreement on strategic partnership in the field of critical mineral resources was signed. Productive collaboration is ongoing in areas such as transport and digital connectivity, the "green" economy, culture, and other fields, the report highlights.
Both sides expressed confidence in the prompt signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union, initialed on July 6, 2022. This is expected to provide “a significant impetus to the development of the entire range of relations.”
The leader of Uzbekistan and the head of the European Council also exchanged views on international issues and regional cooperation.
Joint plans were discussed for preparing and holding the first "Central Asia-EU" summit in Samarkand in April.
It is worth noting that earlier, the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Toivo Klaar, commented to Gazeta.uz on the potential timing of the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
“We hope and expect that the signing of the document could take place in the very near future. There are still details that need to be finalized to ensure the document is complete and ready for signing. However, work is ongoing, and as soon as it is completed, we hope that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will be able to visit Brussels for the signing,” the diplomat noted in November 2024.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 24, 2025