Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An international videoconference has been held on “The New EU Strategy for Connecting Europe with Asia – Prospects for Central Asia”.

The event was organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan together with the Representative Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Central Asia. It was attended by prominent scientists and experts from leading research institutes and analytical centers of Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and other countries.

The participants of the event exchanged views on promising areas of cooperation between Central Asia and the European Union in the context of the implementation of the new EU Strategy for connecting Europe with Asia, UzA reported.

First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Akromjon Nematov, noted that in September 2018, the European Union, having adopted the Connectivity Strategy between the EU and Asia, designated the promotion of the idea of connectivity as a new concept of economic diplomacy for the Asian region.

The expert stated that recently the content of EU cooperation with the Central Asian countries has significantly expanded, which turns the region into a hub of connectivity between Europe and Asia.

Underlining the key role of Central Asia in the EU Connectivity Strategy, the Authorized Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for Central Asia, Ronnie Heine, emphasized the importance of identifying new promising areas of mutually beneficial cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the region. According to the German expert, the EU expresses its readiness to intensify practical cooperation within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia adopted in 2019, taking into account the priorities that meet the goals of sustainable development of the region.

The EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen, highly appreciating the large-scale reforms carried out in Uzbekistan and the country’s new foreign policy course, noted that they contribute to a serious socio-economic transformation of Central Asia and the comprehensive development of regional cooperation.

Such changes, according to the diplomat, increase the interest of donor countries in the region.

The participants of the event agreed to continue the practice of holding discussions on a wide range of issues to develop proposals and saturate the agenda of cooperation between Central Asia and the EU.