In his speech at the "Central Asia-European Union" summit, Shavkat Mirziyoyev mentioned seven priority areas of cooperation with the European Union. According to the press service of the President, the first priority area of cooperation is trade. Uzbekistan is interested in radically expanding trade relations with the European Union, first of all, in creating effective mechanisms to support stable trade and logistics chains and mutual product supply. The introduction of the "GSP+" procedure served as a motivating factor in attracting the country's producers to foreign trade activities and, at the same time, in improving the quality of manufactured products.
Photo: President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev
"We are interested in extending the terms of these conditions for a new period. We believe that the application of this system of preferences to all countries in the region will serve to increase the industrial potential and competitiveness of our economies. As an example, I would like to note that our exporters are ready to supply 500 names of industrial goods with a total value of 4 billion euros to the European market.
At the same time, there are also special issues such as creating a network of modern laboratories, standardization and certification centers in our region in accordance with the requirements of the European Union, developing the knowledge and potential of our exporters to work in European markets, and holding events aimed at increasing the awareness of European companies about the trade opportunities of the countries of the region. there is.
Unfortunately, significant results have not yet been achieved on all these issues. In order to solve them, we propose to jointly develop a comprehensive program to support export and import enterprises of our countries. In addition, the process of accepting the agreement on extended partnership and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union will be completed as soon as possible, which will also serve to fulfill this task," says Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Secondly, the formation of interconnected transport corridors as an important factor of sustainable economic growth.
It is noted that it is important to unite the efforts of the countries in order to develop the transport and communication connection of Central Asia and Europe, first of all, by forming the Trans-Caspian transit corridor called the "Middle Route".
The third priority is investment and technological partnership.
"I went into detail about our capabilities and general plans. I think it's time to consider the issue of holding annual industrial-technological exhibitions within the framework of the "Central Asia-European Union" economic forum. Based on today's reality, together with the European Investment Bank, we are interested in launching special means of financial support for leading European companies in the process of moving their production facilities to our countries. We confirm our readiness to provide all the necessary conditions for the bank's regional office to operate in Uzbekistan," the president said in his speech.
Fourthly, close cooperation with the European Union in the field of digital interconnection.
According to the research of experts of the World Bank, further expansion of high-speed Internet access will lead to a proportional increase in the volume of gross product and export of the countries of the region. The President offered to support the "European team" initiative in this regard and jointly develop the "Digital Agenda for Central Asia".
Fifthly, fight against climate risks.
Here, first of all, we are talking about increasing the stability of ecosystems due to the implementation of targeted regional projects using advanced European knowledge and technologies. In addition, "green" energy is actively developing in Uzbekistan today. By 2030, it is planned to increase the production capacity of renewable energy to 25,000 megawatts and increase its share from the current 14% to 40%.
"Today, my colleagues discussed ecological issues in detail. Taking into account the urgency of the issue, we call on the European Union to become one of the organizers of the first International Climate Forum, which will be held this autumn within the framework of the Samarkand Initiative for Common Security and Prosperity. We are also interested in the active participation of our partners in the project of establishing the Central Asian University of Environmental Studies and Climate Change," says Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Sixth - development of tourism.
It is noted that this network is recovering quickly after the pandemic and showing a sustained high growth rate. Nevertheless, the huge tourism potential of Central Asia is not fully utilized today. The President proposed to jointly develop a program to support the development of sustainable tourism for Central Asia and to present it at the anniversary summit of the World Tourism Organization General Assembly, which will be held in Uzbekistan this October.
Seventh - investing in youth education. Seven branches of European universities are currently operating in Uzbekistan.
"But this is not enough. In the near future, we intend to establish partnerships with leading higher education institutions of the European Union and introduce joint educational programs, primarily in technical specialties. We are in favor of reviving regular meetings of education ministers and university rectors in this format. We propose to consider the possibility of expanding support for research and educational projects for the Central Asian region within the framework of the "European Horizons" program," the president said in his speech.
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