Tashkent, Brussels Agree on €10 Billion Worth of Joint Projects

At the headquarters of the European Council in Brussels - the Europa building - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

The talks focused on expanding Uzbekistan-EU cooperation within the framework of agreements reached at the first “Central Asia - European Union” summit, held in Samarkand in April this year, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

The leaders highly praised the historic Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed today, noting that the document not only broadens the legal foundation for Uzbekistan-EU relations but also sets a new agenda for cooperation.

The agreement is expected to give strong momentum to engagement with EU member states, especially in the fields of trade, investment, transport, energy, climate, high technology, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

It was noted that active and productive dialogue and exchanges are taking place at all levels. Ahead of the visit, the Uzbek delegation participated in the second Global Gateway Forum organized by the EU. Yesterday, the Cooperation Council and the Subcommittee on Economy, Trade, and Investment held successful meetings.

On the same day, a major business forum took place, followed today by meetings with executives of leading European companies and financial institutions. As a result, both sides agreed to implement new projects worth over €10 billion in the sectors of energy, chemicals, critical minerals, logistics, textiles, and pharmaceuticals.

To maintain the strong pace of partnership, the parties stressed the importance of further strengthening institutional mechanisms of cooperation and implementing new promising initiatives in investment, critical minerals, energy, transport, science, and education. They also emphasized the need to simplify visa procedures to facilitate business and humanitarian exchanges.

The leaders exchanged views on key international and regional cooperation issues.

The meeting concluded with the signing of a joint statement.