Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Finland discussed reform cooperation, expert exchanges and the sharing of experience between think tanks during a meeting between Eldor Tulyakov, executive director of the Development Strategy Center, and Maria Ogren, Finland's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan and the country's president's special representative for Central Asia.
The meeting took place on 10 September, the press service of the Development Strategy Center said.
Tulyakov outlined the center's work to systematically monitor the implementation of strategic reforms in Uzbekistan, which has been underway since 2017. Key areas include studying public opinion in the regions, analyzing issues raised by residents, and preparing proposals and initiatives to improve the effectiveness of reforms.
He also highlighted efforts to promote dialogue among government bodies, civil society, and national and international experts. The center studies international experience and explores ways to apply it to Uzbekistan's reform process.
Ogren praised the pace of reforms in Uzbekistan and noted visible results from its economic transformations. She said that amid rapid change, dialogue between the state and society, consideration of citizens' views and broad public participation in reform processes were particularly important.
The diplomat also highlighted the role of the Development Strategy Center in facilitating interaction among government institutions, society, the expert community, the media and international partners.
The participants exchanged views on the possible application of Finnish experience in public administration, the work of local representative bodies, digitalization, water management, environmental protection and climate change mitigation.
They noted the practical value of international experience studied during visits by Uzbek delegations to developed countries, including Finland. The knowledge gained was used in preparing proposals to improve the activities of local Councils, the meeting heard.
Ogren expressed Finland's readiness to cooperate with the center in specific areas and help establish contacts with relevant Finnish organizations, experts and think tanks. The sides also noted the possibility of holding joint meetings and events during future visits to Uzbekistan by Finnish political and expert representatives.
Following the meeting, the participants expressed their readiness to further develop ties between the two countries' expert and analytical communities, expand experience-sharing and implement joint initiatives in areas of mutual interest.
For reference, Johanna Maria Ogren is Finland's ambassador to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and carries out her diplomatic duties from Helsinki. She previously worked on Finland's foreign policy strategic planning and has more than 20 years of experience in diplomacy in several foreign countries.
