The European Union Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen on Friday (December 16) in an interview with Alisher Azimov, Daryo, discussed the priority areas of cooperation between the international organization comprising 27 European countries and the Central Asian region, including Uzbekistan. In particular, the top EU diplomat reflected on the importance of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) that addresses trade relations, customs management, security, and other spheres. Besides, the meeting reflected on the role of Uzbekistan in ensuring cross-border cooperation.
Taking into account that the initialing ceremony of the signing of the preliminary Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union took place in July this year in Brussels, the EU considers Uzbekistan as a strategic partner. What do you believe are the priority areas of EU-Uzbekistan cooperation?
EPCA is the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. But we had established a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement before (namely, PCA); we have been working and cooperating with Uzbekistan for a long time. What this agreement will enhance is that we will be focusing more on a broader number of sectors. We still need to sign the treaty first. There will be more dialogue and work on specific regulatory standards, not only within the framework of the EPCA. What we already do together with Uzbekistan is that we design areas for our collaboration. But on top of this, we will also have a political discussion. Because this maybe comes back to the overall framework within which we are already working, for instance, the EU Central Asian strategy adopted in 2019.
What do you think is the role of Uzbekistan in the Central Asian region, including in terms of EU-Uzbekistan economic relations?
We see Uzbekistan as a part of Central Asia. And while working with Central Asia, we focus on specific sectors that we believe will have an influence: on prosperity, on the resilience of the region, for example, economic development, water management issues, and the energy sector. We’ve included digitalization and questions that were touched upon during the Сonnectivity Сonference in Samarkand. Apart from resilience and prosperity, which brings the third point in the strategy, is regional cooperation. The role of Uzbekistan in Central Asia is key because we see Uzbekistan as a sort of locomotive for trying to have more impact, much more cooperation, and regional cooperation in Central Asia. This is why I'm always saying we've been supporting the reforms for the last few years. And Uzbekistan is ensuring there are no conflicts on the borders, but more cooperation across borders. It's something that we believe is important. We're extremely happy to support this policy friendship with all the neighbors. 10 years ago I was in Tajikistan and at that time, it was very difficult to cross the borders. This is also one of the positive changes. And this is also what we do. With our programs, we aim to support regional cooperation, being it for example, on border management, or on water resources, which are some of the challenges faced by Uzbekistan and other countries in the CA region.
The meeting also highlighted that European Union in its international cooperation has always been looking for lasting partnerships. For this reason, the EU has adopted a multi-annual plan of EU-Uzbekistan than envisages investing €74mn in Uzbekistan within the first four years of its implementation. In its investments, the EU supports the reforms the Uzbek Government has embarked upon since 2017, the EU delegation noted.
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