Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) on Thursday in Tashkent, which will ensure the continuity of bilateral relations if the UK ceases to participate in the PCA between Uzbekistan and the European Union due to the possible Brexit without a deal, the UK Embassy to Uzbekistan said.
To take effect the agreement must pass parliamentary procedures in both Uzbekistan and the UK. Uzbekistan was the first country in Central Asia with which the United Kingdom signed such an agreement.
The document, to the extent possible, duplicates the provisions of the current PCA between Uzbekistan and the EU, and provides for broad cooperation in the areas of international relations, trade and investment, sustainable development, environmental protection and energy, as well as respect for human rights.
The document guarantees that Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom will continue the mutual application of the most favored nation in trade clause. Since Uzbekistan is not a member of the World Trade Organization, this regime, enshrined in the agreement, is necessary to provide a legal basis for trade.
The document was signed by the Uzbekistan Foreign Minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov and the UK Ambassador, Tim Torlot.
