Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Head of the Mission of Uzbekistan to the EU Dilyor Hakimov participated in the final conference “The Future of Relations between the European Union and Central Asia”, organized by the project “Strengthening and Enhancing Relations between the EU and Central Asia” (“SEnECA”).

The SEnECA project was launched in 2017 and is funded by the European Union. Its main goal is to further promote relations between the EU and Central Asia by establishing sustainable links between analysts, researchers, political scientists, representatives of civil society and the public of the two regions. 12 partner organizations of the countries of the European Union and Central Asia participate in it. The project is designed for two years. Over the past period, conferences were held in its framework in April 2018 in Riga and in January 2019 in Almaty.

Among the participants of the current event from Uzbekistan were also the head of the department of modern history and international studies of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Rakhimov, teachers of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy Gavkhar Sultanova and Khulkar Karimova.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Chairman of the Delegation for Central Asia of the European Parliament, Andris Ameriks, noted that Central Asia is an important partner for the EU. The readiness of the European side was expressed to assist the countries of the region in the successful implementation of the initiated reforms. The priority areas of cooperation are development of the private sector, improvement of the business climate and modernization of the economy. The importance of reducing unemployment and providing youth employment was highlighted. The need for joint measures to combat international terrorism and solve environmental problems was also emphasized. The desire of Uzbekistan to join the World Trade Organization was supported.

EU Special Representative for Central Asia Peter Burian noted that the European Union welcomes the recent positive developments in the region. Thanks to the initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, many problems have been resolved in Central Asia, good neighborly relations have been established, and regional cooperation is being strengthened.

With this in mind, the European Union in June this year adopted a new Strategy for Central Asia, which is comprehensive and covers almost all areas of cooperation. In addition, a bilateral Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation was signed with Kazakhstan, a draft of a similar agreement was agreed with Kyrgyzstan, and active work in this direction continues with Uzbekistan.

The speaker emphasized that Central Asia plays a key role in ensuring the interconnectedness between Europe and Asia, serving as a link between them. A new important element of such interregional cooperation is Afghanistan, which is seen as an integral part of the vast region of Central Asia.

The Head of the Uzbekistan Mission to the EU Dilyor Hakimov dwelt in detail on the cultural aspects of the relationship between the peoples of Central Asia. It is noted that culture and education have always been key components in this regard. The important role of multinationality, multiculturalism and multi-religiosity in the development of Central Asia as a single region is emphasized.

The conference participants expressed confidence that due to its favorable geopolitical and geostrategic location, huge energy and human potential, the role and importance of Central Asia in the world will only grow, and its relationship with the European Union will strengthen and expand.

In conclusion, a high assessment was given of the results of the implementation of SEnECA and the need was expressed to continue work in this direction by adopting a new similar project.