Uzbekistan, Sweden Sign Migration Partnership Agreement

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan and Sweden Formalize Migration Partnership, Launch Pilot Mobility Program in Tashkent

Uzbekistan and Sweden have signed a landmark migration and mobility agreement, establishing a formal bilateral framework for legal labor migration, academic exchange, and consular cooperation — the most concrete outcome of high-level diplomatic talks held in Tashkent on June 10, 2026.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Muzaffar Madrakhimov met with Diana Janse, State Secretary at Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, for talks spanning the full breadth of bilateral relations before concluding with two signed instruments.

What was signed:

The meeting produced a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement on Migration and Mobility between the two governments, alongside a Joint Declaration establishing a pilot program on migration and mobility — a targeted initiative designed to develop structured legal migration pathways and expand academic exchange channels between the two countries.

The dual-instrument approach — a binding agreement paired with a joint declaration for a pilot program — reflects a sequenced strategy: setting the overarching legal framework while simultaneously launching a contained, testable initiative before broader implementation.

The broader agenda:

Beyond migration, the two sides reviewed the state of political, trade, economic, investment, and humanitarian cooperation. Sectoral discussions covered education, innovation, pharmaceuticals, industry, and agriculture — with specific attention to measures for increasing bilateral trade volumes and expanding Swedish corporate participation in Uzbekistan's priority economic sectors.

Both delegations underscored the importance of maintaining regular consultations between their foreign ministries and deepening inter-parliamentary ties.

On migration specifically, the parties emphasized the value of safe, orderly, and legal migration, expanded labor mobility opportunities, improved consular services, and joint human rights protection initiatives — language that signals alignment with UN Global Compact on Migration principles and positions the agreement within a broader international normative framework.

The agreement adds Sweden to a growing list of European partners with whom Uzbekistan has formalized migration cooperation structures, as Tashkent increasingly pursues bilateral mobility arrangements to manage and legitimize the significant outflow of Uzbek labor migrants to European and Eurasian labor markets.