The European Union is expecting the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, befroe the end of 2021 to sign the new bilateral Enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement, said the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Peter Burian at a meeting with reporters.
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) will replace the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which has been in force since 1999. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the European Union and Uzbekistan are expected to sign an EPC as early as 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the timelines had to be adjusted.
“The core sections of the agreement are virtually completed. We are ready to complete this process by the end of the year. We believe that this will be a good reason for the visit of President Mirziyoyev to Brussels,” said Peter Burian.
He noted that they are waiting for the visit of the head of Uzbekistan "with great impatience." “Because this is a very important signal that both sides are very serious about advancing cooperation,” he added.
Peter Burian added that the reform process in Uzbekistan made it possible to significantly expand cooperation between the EU and Tashkent. “We are trying to reflect all the best practices and industries in this agreement,” said Peter Burian.
Negotiations on the EPCA began in February 2019, with three rounds (in July and September 2020 and February this year) held online. Earlier, the press service of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade said that the EPCA could be signed by the end of 2021.
