On November 17, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid.

The parties discussed the ways to further develop cooperation with the OSCE in all areas of its activities - economic and environmental, political and humanitarian and commended the enhanced contacts, the development of an open and constructive dialogue in recent times.

Only this year - the year of the 30th anniversary of cooperation - OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Uzbekistan. There is fruitful cooperation with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Projects are being jointly implemented to develop digital skills among young people and within the framework of the Strategy to Combat Terrorism and Extremism until 2026.

During the conversation, the parties pointed to the importance of expert support of the OSCE structures, especially in matters of continuing democratic reforms and developing civil society institutions in Uzbekistan and to the need to strengthen cooperation in the economic and environmental areas, the implementation of joint projects in the field of "green" economy, digitalization, small business and ecology was emphasized.

The parties also focused on the regional and international security, and the situation in neighboring Afghanistan and reached an agreement on the implementation of joint projects aimed at addressing the pressing humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.