Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 16 November 2021, the 16th meeting of the Cooperation Council "Republic of Uzbekistan - European Union" was held in Brussels, in which a delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov took part.

The EU delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, as co-chair of the Council.

During the event, the European side welcomed the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan in the spheres of justice, internal affairs, human rights and the rule of law.

An exchange of views took place on the current state of Uzbek-European relations, the course of implementation of joint programs, new areas of interaction, as well as the schedule of upcoming meetings. The importance of the early completion of negotiations on the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation was noted.

Particular attention was paid to the intensification of economic ties, including the elimination of trade barriers, the development of interregional interconnection, the support of renewable energy, the provision of financial and technical assistance, the promotion of tourist and educational exchanges.

The EU delegation highly appreciated the foreign policy of Uzbekistan, thanks to which an atmosphere of mutual understanding and good-neighborliness was formed in Central Asia. The readiness of the official Brussels to strengthen the interregional partnership in the "European Union - Central Asia" format was reaffirmed.

The meeting participants also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, as well as issues of providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

Following the talks, a joint press conference was held for the media.