On November 16, Brussels hosted the 16th EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council meeting, which was attended by the Uzbek government delegation headed by the Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.
The EU delegation was headed by the Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva as co-chairman of the Council, the Foreign Ministry said.
During the event, Augusto Santos Silva welcomed the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan.
The parties exchanged views on the current state of Uzbek-European ties, the course of implementation of joint programs, new areas of cooperation, as well as the schedule of upcoming meetings, highlighting the importance of the early completion of negotiations on the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Particular attention is paid to stepping up economic ties, including the elimination of trade barriers, the development of interregional interconnection, the support of renewable energy, the provision of financial and technical assistance, the promotion of tourist and educational exchanges.
The EU delegation reportedly highly valued Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, thanks to which an atmosphere of mutual understanding and good-neighborliness was formed in Central Asia and reiterated readiness of the official Brussels to strengthen the interregional partnership in the EU- Central Asia format.
The parties also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, as well as issues of providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
