Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 13 December 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov took part in the conference “Italy - Central Asia: Strengthening Mutual Understanding, Cooperation and Partnership”, which was held in Rome.

The conference was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Luigi Di Maio.

The event was attended and delivered by the heads of the Foreign Ministries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, political, economic and financial structures of the European Union and Italy.

In his speech at the conference, the head of the Uzbek delegation noted that the topic of the forum is very relevant and meets the interests of both Italy and Central Asian states.

“Today, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan is experiencing an important stage in its development,” the Foreign Minister said. “In the process of political and economic modernization, measures taken to ensure human rights and the rule of law, a new democratic image of our country is created.” Thanks to an active foreign policy aimed at strengthening peace and stability in the region, over the past 3 years it has been possible to establish good neighborly relations with all neighboring countries, to solve many of the accumulated problems on the basis of mutual interests.

At the initiative of the leader of Uzbekistan, a format of regular Consultative meetings of the heads of state of Central Asia was created. The second Consultative meeting was held in Tashkent on November 29, at which Uzbekistan put forward a number of proposals, including the holding of the Central Asian Investment Forum, a joint meeting of chambers of commerce of the region, and the promotion of joint tourism programs on the principle of "One tour - the whole region."

The Minister also paid special attention to water and environmental issues, the Afghan problem, concrete proposals to expand cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union and EU countries, in particular Italy. In this regard, the Foreign Minister noted that in our country more than 4.5 thousand projects are being developed for the production of various products and, taking into account the specifics of industries, in most of them Italian equipment and technologies could be used.

It was noted that almost all sectors of the economy in which Italy is strong are of interest to Uzbekistan. In particular, this applies to the automotive industry, furniture, leather, oil and gas, textile and food industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, winemaking, medicine, the manufacture of clothing, building materials and household appliances, as well as financial, transport and communication services.

In conclusion, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of strengthening and expanding cooperation with Italy and the European Union, as well as the willingness to discuss new initiatives and proposals.