On September 6, Acting Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov met in Brussels with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

“We discussed issues of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU. An exchange of views took place on preparations for the ministerial meeting of the EU and Central Asia and the conference on interconnectedness, which will be held in November in Samarkand,” said Vladimir Norov.

The parties during the meeting also welcomed the recent completion of negotiations on the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), the press service of the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan said.

“EPCA will provide a new, modern and ambitious framework to step up the partnership between the EU and Uzbekistan. The agreement includes new areas of cooperation and significantly modernizes the regulatory framework for trade and economic relations.

Josep Borrell welcomed the economic and political reforms carried out by Uzbekistan and expressed hope that the reform process would be irreversible.

“Regarding the protests in the Karakalpakstan autonomy that took place in early July, Josep Borrell inquired about the progress of the investigation launched after the protests. He also recalled the importance of meaningful consultations with all interested parties, especially with regard to amending the Constitution.

Josep Borrell thanked Uzbekistan for the planned EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting on November 17 and the EU-Central Asia connectivity conference on 18 November in Samarkand.

Vladimir Norov and Josep Borrell also discussed the upcoming summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which will be held on September 15-16, and the Organization of Turkic States (OTG), which is scheduled for November and will also be held in Samarkand.