Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov, who is in Dushanbe on a visit, met with the European Union Special Representative for Central Asia Teri Hakala on October 18, the Foreign Ministry reported.
The parties reportedly discussed the ways to strengthen and develop cooperation with the European Union in the areas of investment, trade, science and education, ecology, tourism and other areas and agreed on the importance of the early signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union, initialed on July 6, 2022. This comprehensive document is designed to bring Uzbek-European relations to a qualitatively new level.
Vladimir Norov and Teri Hakala also discussed the organization of a ministerial meeting and an international conference on interconnectivity: "Global Gateway" for Sustainable Development" in the "EU-Central Asia" format on November 17-18 in Samarkand.
The parties focused on expanding trade and economic cooperation: in January-September 2022, the volume of the two-way trade with the EU countries topped $3.13 billion, which is 14.8% more compared to the same period last year and considered proposals to step up economic diplomacy and implement investment projects.
