Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 7 December 2020, a virtual Economic Forum "EU-Central Asia Dialogue on Partnership for Prosperity" was held. 

The event was attended by Vice-Chairmen of the European Commission V. Dombrovskis and M. Shefchovich, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan D. Said, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic R. Sabirov, Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan B. Sultanov, Special Representative of the European Union for Central Asia P. Burian, Vice President of the European Investment Bank T. Červinska, Deputy Director General of the European Commission, as well as representatives of government circles of Central Asian countries and heads of foreign organizations. The Republic of Uzbekistan was represented at the forum by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade S. Umurzakov.

The event is a platform for an interregional dialogue between the EU and Central Asia on strengthening mutually beneficial economic partnership. According to the organizers, such events help to better understand what is needed to create a sustainable favorable business climate and intensify regional cooperation.

During the Forum, the current state and prospects for further strengthening multilateral cooperation in the trade, economic, investment and transport and logistics spheres, as well as measures taken by the governments of the countries aimed at mitigating the economic consequences associated with the pandemic, were discussed.

During the discussion, special attention was paid to the idea of promoting innovative economic development of Central Asian countries with an emphasis on the "green" economy. In this context, the importance of improving energy efficiency by introducing the practice of rational consumption of natural resources by attracting advanced scientific and industrial technologies was emphasized.

It was also emphasized that for the transition of Central Asian countries to a sustainable growth model, it is important to take timely measures to improve regulatory and legal acts, optimize a number of customs and legal procedures, systematically fight corruption and economic crime, and provide comprehensive support to the private sector.

The foreign side was informed of the initiative of Uzbekistan to adopt, under the auspices of the UN, the International Code of Voluntary Commitments of States during a Pandemic. In addition, the Uzbek side noted the expediency of establishing joint activities of the ministries of health and leading medical institutions of Central Asia and the EU to exchange information and experience in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dangerous infectious diseases. Also, Uzbekistan expressed its readiness to strengthen international cooperation and support the activities of multilateral organizations.

Representatives of the EU leadership expressed support for Uzbekistan's initiative to hold the EU-Central Asia Ministerial Conference on Connectivity and Sustainable Development in April 2021.

In turn, the European side welcomed the progress made by Uzbekistan in joining the World Trade Organization, obtaining the status of a beneficiary country of the Generalized System of Preferences "GSP +", as well as agreeing on the draft Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation with the European Union.

Within the framework of the Forum, a number of panel sessions were also held, during which participants had the opportunity to discuss topical issues in the areas of regional economic cooperation, digitalization and the formation of a sustainable business environment.

As a result of the event, the participants expressed confidence that the Forum will make a huge contribution to the implementation of the EU Strategy for Central Asia and become an effective platform for exchanging views and jointly developing proposals on multifaceted multilateral cooperation. Priority areas for further cooperation were also identified and practical steps were outlined to prepare for the first EU-Central Asia Economic Forum.