Uzbekistan: priority areas of cooperation within regional organizations

Our reporter talked to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sherzod ASADOV on this topic.
— Sherzod Ikromovich, what new trends are emerging in the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and European countries in the coming years? In which areas are these relationships most evident during the pandemic?
- In fact, Uzbekistan considers cooperation with the European Union and European countries to be one of the priorities of its foreign policy. We can say that a new era of mutually beneficial cooperation has begun as a result of the rapid development of Uzbekistan's relations with European countries on all fronts in recent years.
Just one example. Official visits of our President to France (October 2018), Germany (January 2019) and Turkey (October 2017 and February 2020) were organized, and according to their results, political, trade-economic, investment, cultural-humanitarian and other significant agreements were reached in the fields. In turn, it should be noted that the President of the GFR Frank-Walter Steinmeier (May 2019) and the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (April 2018) paid a return visit to our country.
Currently, all-round efforts are being made to organize high-level visits with countries such as Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain and the Czech Republic.
During the last year, more than 20 political consultations were held with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of European countries such as Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Turkey, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Recently, we have seen that the dialogue with the European Union at the highest and highest level is becoming more and more active. In particular, in May 2019, the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, visited Uzbekistan for the first time. In addition, Federica Mogherini, the former High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, visited our republic twice (November 2017 and March 2018).
In April 2020, a telephone conversation was held between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the head of the Council of Europe, Charles Michel. The Minister of Foreign Affairs A.Komilov had two talks with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Vice President of the European Union Commission, Joseph Borrell (in Berlin in January 2020 and by phone in May 2020). During the negotiations, current issues of multilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, investment and humanitarian spheres were discussed.
During these negotiations, the European side expressed its interest in expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, innovation and investment, transport, science, education and health.
At this point, it should be emphasized that trade and economic cooperation with European countries is growing and developing significantly. In particular, according to the results of 2019, the volume of trade between Uzbekistan and the CIS countries increased by almost 60 percent compared to 2016 and amounted to 4 billion US dollars. At the same time, the export of products produced in our country to Europe increased by 1.5 times and reached the amount of 580 million US dollars, while during this period the volume of imports increased by 1.5 times and amounted to 3.42 billion dollars.
In January-May of this year, the volume of trade amounted to 1.315 billion dollars, including export 196.6 million dollars, import 1.11 billion dollars.
In order to raise the quality of relations to a new and higher level, official Tashkent and Brussels have been actively negotiating a new comprehensive bilateral document - the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation since 2019.
This direction, which serves the development of multifaceted dialogue with the European Union, 
was achieved mainly due to the fundamental reforms carried out in Uzbekistan within the framework of the Action Strategy for 2017-2021.
Based on the positive dynamics of cooperation observed in Central Asia in recent years, as well as Uzbekistan's new policy aimed at strengthening good neighborly relations with the countries of the region and solving all issues through constructive dialogue, Brussels has fundamentally revised its policy towards the region towards the development of interregional relations.
All this was evident in the new strategy for Central Asia approved by Brussels (in June 2019). According to the position of the European side, the European Union and its member states are interested in the political stability and consistent development of Central Asia, as well as in the active development of integration relations between the two regions.
Recognizing the stable situation in our region, thanks to the good neighborly policy promoted by the official Tashkent, the official Rome held a ministerial meeting in the "Italy-Central Asia" format for the first time (December 2019). In turn, in order to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia, official Paris decided to continue the second stage of dialogue.
In April and June 2020, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade S. Umurzokov held two meetings in the form of video conference with the European Union Trade Commissioner F. Hogan. During the negotiations, an agreement was reached on the activation of the process of agreement on the project of the agreement on expanded partnership and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU. Special attention was paid to the measures being implemented within the framework of preparations for the 4th meeting of the working group on the WTO membership of Uzbekistan, as well as to the process of Uzbekistan obtaining the status of a beneficiary country in the EEU "PBT+" preferential system.
It should be noted that today, in the context of the global spread of COVID-19 and its negative impact on the world economy, the European Union has decided to allocate more than 30 million euros to Uzbekistan to eliminate its negative consequences.
In addition, the European Union allocated 5 million euros, Norway 1.1 million US dollars, and Finland 1 million euros to the Multipartnership Trust Fund for Human Security for the Archipelago region of Uzbekistan under the auspices of the UN.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our partners in Europe for Uzbekistan's efforts to become a member of the World Trade Organization and the republic to obtain the status of a beneficiary under the "GSP+" system, as well as for the financial and technical support they provide to our country in the context of extensive changes.
About 168 million euros have been allocated for the implementation of socio-economic projects in the Republic of Uzbekistan within the framework of the long-term indicative program of the European Union's voluntary aid for the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2014-2020.
At the same time, we are grateful to the countries of the European Union for supporting the efforts of the leadership of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the international arena to resolve the current situation in Afghanistan peacefully. Establishing the long-awaited peace in the neighboring country is a priority for Uzbekistan.
We will continue bilateral and multilateral relations with Europe. Trade, investment and finance, transfer of high technologies, cooperation in the fields of science, technology, education, ecology, health and culture, as well as strengthening of regional security are the main priorities of Uzbekistan-Europe relations.
— What are the results of Uzbekistan's cooperation with world-renowned international organizations, including the UN, World Health Organization, and UNICEF, in the fight against today's global pandemic?
- Uzbekistan's effective cooperation with prestigious international organizations, including the UN and its specialized agencies, has not weakened even during the pandemic.
The action plan ("road map") for the development of cooperation with the UN and its specialized institutions developed and approved in June of this year at the suggestion of the President is a clear proof of our opinion. This document envisages the efforts to promote the initiatives of the head of our state within the framework of the UN, promote the candidates of the republic and its representatives to the membership of the UN electoral bodies, and accelerate the activities in the international arena in order to organize political and diplomatic events aimed at increasing the image of our country in the international arena. There is no doubt that the plan of events will raise the future cooperation with the most universal international organization on the planet - the UN and its specialized institutions to a qualitatively new level.
At the same time, we have been closely cooperating with the UN, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the International Labor Organization in the joint fight against the introduction of the coronavirus in our country and its spread on the territory of the republic.
On July 8, the global virtual summit of the International Labor Organization on issues of combating COVID-19 in the field of labor was held in Geneva with the participation of heads of state and government of more than 80 countries. The address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the participants of this event shows that the efforts being made in our country during the pandemic are widely recognized by the world community.
The United Nations Development Program was the first to allocate financial and technical assistance in the amount of 250,000 dollars to carry out specific efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Uzbekistan. Also, in order to help the government of Uzbekistan in mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the issue of additional grant funding of 1 million dollars was developed by the UN representative office in Uzbekistan.
In addition, the relevant agencies of the UN in Tashkent developed an analytical document called "Generalized Multilateral Proposal on Socio-Economic Measures", which includes an assessment of the situation related to COVID-19 and current tasks in this regard.
In the document, in addition to the urgent social, including health issues, which must be resolved in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the UN and its agencies operating in the republic urge the government of Uzbekistan to implement macroeconomic measures that cannot be delayed, to restore the economy, in particular, to reduce the export of products. proposals and recommendations on providing close assistance to prevent the closure of small and medium-sized business enterprises and the reduction of related jobs are reflected.
This analytical document developed on time is very important in the current conditions, and it provides an opportunity to address the activities being carried out intensively against the pandemic in the republic, taking into account the experience and capabilities of the UN and its specialized agencies. The Uzbek side, of course, highly appreciates the activities of the UN in the preparation of this document and expresses its readiness to cooperate closely with the representative office of the organization in Tashkent in the future.
The World Health Organization is helping Uzbekistan purchase laboratory and test kits, control the spread of the infection, and collect information on international health regulations and COVID-19.
On the basis of the financial support of the Asian Development Bank, the UN Children's Fund - 
UNICEF purchased medical equipment and supplies worth 1.56 million dollars for the republic. Medicines, medical supplies and other necessary supplies are delivered on time to the Agency for Sanitary and Epidemiological Peace under the Ministry of Health.
— Uzbekistan is striving to become a member of the World Trade Organization. How does this serve the future development of our country?
- The large-scale reforms implemented in Uzbekistan are considered an important factor in the further development of foreign political and economic relations and in bringing them to a higher level.
Today, one of the largest economic integrations, which includes 164 countries of the world, is the World Trade Organization. One of its unique aspects is that the organization was founded without a separate charter, relying on contracts and negotiations and has been operating until now. Membership in this organization requires long-term negotiations and complex work in various directions. The main focus is on bilateral and multilateral negotiations with member states.
As part of activities aimed at diversification of foreign trade routes and their integration with international infrastructures, significant work is being done for Uzbekistan's WTO membership. In particular, on June 29 of this year, the next meeting of the Interagency Commission on working with the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in the form of a video conference under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan S. Umurzokov.
On July 7, the 4th meeting of the working group on the accession of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the WTO was held. Representatives of more than 60 countries, including the USA, the European Union, China, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Mongolia, Honduras, India, and others participated in this event.
Uzbek experts provided detailed answers to the questions of the member states during the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed on important issues such as the next stages of the process of Uzbekistan joining the organization, that is, the development of a factual resume, the organization and holding of bilateral meetings, and the updating of previously submitted documents.
Currently, most of the WTO member states, including China, EU, Turkey, Japan, Russia, etc., have expressed their readiness to provide all-round assistance in the activities for Uzbekistan's entry into the WTO.
— How are European countries and international organizations assessing the reforms implemented in Uzbekistan in recent years to ensure the protection of human rights and freedom of speech?
- In the last three years, large-scale reforms aimed at fundamentally improving the life of our people based on the principle of "Human interests are above all else" have been highly appreciated by the international community. In particular, in the annual report presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet at the end of 2019, for the first time, a positive emphasis was placed on the reforms implemented in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
At the same time, in March of this year, the UN Committee on Human Rights reviewed the Fifth Periodic Report submitted by the Republic of Uzbekistan and noted the achievements in the field of fighting corruption, preventing violence against women, reforming the judiciary, ending child and forced labor in our country. gave a positive assessment. Currently, a "road map" is being developed for the implementation of the committee's recommendations in this regard.
In addition, Arlem Dezir, representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on media freedom, highly appreciates the work in the field of freedom of expression in Uzbekistan. In particular, his office implements a number of events and projects in cooperation with the Information and Mass Communications Agency under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Public Fund for Support and Development of the National Mass Media. In 2020, it 
is planned to hold the OSCE International Forum on Freedom of Speech in Central Asia in Tashkent.
On June 22 of this year, the National Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Human Rights was adopted. On the basis of this document, further large-scale reforms in the field of human rights in our country and extensive work with foreign partners are envisaged.
In the process of communication with our foreign partners and international organizations, we have been emphasizing the irreversibility and continuity of reforms in the field of human rights in Uzbekistan. In order to further increase the prestige of our country in this field, the relevant ministries and departments of our republic and diplomatic missions abroad are working consistently on the issue of Uzbekistan's membership in the UN Human Rights Council in 2021-2023.
Uzbekistan pays special attention to the development of cooperation in the field of human rights and the rule of law in relations with the European Union.
Our republic was one of the first in Central Asia to organize the "Dialogue on Human Rights" within the framework of the Uzbekistan-European Union sub-committee on justice, internal affairs, human rights and related issues. To date, 12 rounds of dialogue have been held between the parties.
Our European partners have been supporting profound changes in the areas of democratization of society, strengthening of the rule of law, civil society, freedom of expression and human rights since the beginning of multifaceted reforms within the framework of the action strategy.
The European side emphasizes Uzbekistan's achievements in ending forced labor, judicial reforms, prevention of torture and solving problems related to stateless persons.
Due to significant progress in these areas, 2019 is not the first time that the EU has introduced a list of so-called "individual cases". Of course, this indicates significant changes in the reforms in these areas in our country.
For information: within the framework of the meetings of the sub-committee "Uzbekistan-EU" on justice, internal affairs, human rights and related issues, the European side traditionally presented a list of 10-15 people called "political prisoners" with a demand for release from prison.
In addition, the European side stated that the large number of acquittals in 2019-2020 compared to previous years indicates that reforms in the judicial system of Uzbekistan are actually showing positive results.
Uzbekistan's positive results in this area were also highly appreciated in the European Union's annual report on human rights and democracy in the world (published in June 2020). The document states that since 2016, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has implemented a comprehensive program of reforms aimed at gradual liberalization and democratization of society, including political programs.
It is noted separately that significant progress in this direction was achieved in 2019 and at the end of it (December 22). This, in turn, clearly demonstrated the aspirations of the leadership of our republic to implement fundamental changes.
In addition, the YEI report focuses on positive developments in the field of freedom of expression. In particular, it was noted that the Information and Mass Communications Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan provided serious support to Uzbek journalists who faced difficulties in working with various state agencies.
At the same time, Uzbekistan was removed from the "black zone" according to the classification of "Media without Borders" in 2019.
Taking into account the republic's achievements in ensuring human rights, the EU and most of its member states support Uzbekistan's active participation in global political processes, including membership of the UN Human Rights Council.
- The development of international tourism in our country is developing more and more rapidly. To what extent does the World Tourism Organization support Uzbekistan's initiatives in this field?
- Of course, the large-scale work we are doing to develop the tourism industry in Uzbekistan, attract foreign tourists to our country, and generally strengthen the tourism potential of our country, is being positively received by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Representatives of our republic have been actively participating in the large and prestigious tourist fairs organized under the auspices of UNWTO - FITUR, ITB, JATA, World Travel Market, Top Resa and a number of similar international events, as well as in ministerial level conferences held within them. This makes it possible to exchange ideas with international partners on important issues in the field of tourism.
The organization supports Uzbekistan's initiatives in the international arena in a comprehensive and comprehensive manner. In particular, on the initiative of our country, on June 1 of this year, an international conference of the World Tourism Organization on the topic "Road to Recovery" was organized. In the course of this online dialogue, the news about the SAFE TRAVEL GUARANTEED initiative, that is, the fight against the coronavirus in Uzbekistan, the introduction of safe tourism, and the conditions created for foreign tourists in our country, was promoted among the member states of the organization.