The high-level meeting “Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Europe – Cooperation for Common Development” has begun in Tashkent.

The event is organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Agency for Strategic Reforms, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Alongside representatives of the government of Uzbekistan, about 30 former heads of state and government from different regions are taking part in the forum. The agenda covers a wide range of areas of cooperation aimed at promoting strategic dialogue among the countries of Eurasia.

“The welcoming address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the participants of the conference was delivered by the Special Representative of the President for Foreign Policy Abdulaziz Kamilov.

“We consider it important that the issues of connectivity between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as well as the prospects for cooperation between these two major regions and Europe, become the central theme of today’s discussions”, the address states. The address also particularly emphasizes that “at the Central Asia – European Union summit, a historic decision was made to establish a strategic partnership between our region and the countries of the European Union”.

At the opening of the conference, speeches were delivered by Ismail Serageldin, Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Boris Tadić, former President of Serbia, and María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Defense of Ecuador in 2017-2018. They highly commended Uzbekistan’s efforts to strengthen cooperation between Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

In addition, the distinguished guests noted Uzbekistan’s achievements in international rankings related to supporting IT startups, developing financial technologies, and advancing e-government. In this regard, they emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in implementing advanced digital solutions and scientific developments. It was noted that the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies will enable the countries of the region not only to ensure sustainable growth and innovative development but also to strengthen their global competitiveness.

Abduaziz Khidirov, photos by Asliddin Alijonov, UzA