Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An official ceremony of signing the Agreement on Cooperation between Uzbekistan and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was held in Geneva. The document envisages the opening of a full-fledged Representative Office of the organization in Tashkent, Dunyo news agency reported.

Uzbekistan became a full member of the IOM in 2019, which contributed to the intensification of cooperation between the republic and the organization. This interaction is growing steadily. As previously reported, during her visit to Geneva, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan Tanzilya Narbaeva met with IOM Secretary General Antonio Vitorino.

At the end of the signing ceremony, Antonio Vitorino gave an exclusive interview to the Dunyo news agency, in which he cordially greeted Uzbekistan as the 173rd IOM member country and said that the dynamically developing cooperation with the Uzbek side is reaching a qualitatively new level.

“Since the opening of the IOM office in Tashkent in 2015, we have been witnessing the growing interest and solid practical steps of the leadership of Uzbekistan to form an effective and modern migration management system,” he said. - The republic demonstrates openness to political and socio-economic reforms, pragmatism in its relations with neighboring countries and achieves amazing results. We recognize and appreciate that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev personally prioritizes migration issues at the national level and actively participates in and supports regional and global initiatives dedicated to cooperation on international migration issues.

It should be noted that Uzbekistan was among the first countries to support the Global Compact on Migration and demonstrates determination in its full implementation. Your country is also the first in the region to report on progress made at the national level in the implementation of the Global Compact.

We welcome the adoption of the resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On measures to introduce a system of safe, orderly and legal labor migration" on 15 September 2020, which focuses on improving the activities of authorized bodies in the field of external labor migration, training people wishing to work abroad professions in demand, protecting the rights of citizens during their stay abroad, ensuring the employment of returned labor migrants, as well as social support for their family members.

We appreciate Uzbekistan’s efforts to support its citizens abroad, who are also suffering from the COVID-19 crisis in foreign countries, and to assist those who have returned to the republic. We thank the Uzbek government for providing a safe corridor for hundreds of Tajik migrants affected by the pandemic to transport them from the Kazakh-Uzbek border to the border with Tajikistan.

The current epidemiological situation also highlighted the need for even broader cooperation between countries, international organizations, government agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector.

The agreement we signed today also marks our commitment to expanding such cooperation. I congratulate all of us on signing this important document and, on behalf of the IOM, once again welcome Uzbekistan to the expanding family of our organization.