On July 8, 2023, ISRS hosted a meeting with the Director of the Center for European-Asian Studies Andrey Rusakov, who arrived in Uzbekistan as an international observer in the Early Presidential Election.

During the talks, an open exchange of views on the current issues of the international and regional agenda took place, and further prospects for bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia were discussed.

The expert highly appreciated the level of preparation for the electoral process in Uzbekistan. Its transparency and compliance with international standards were emphasized.

The guest was informed in detail about the key transformations that have taken place in Uzbekistan in recent years and the country’s approaches to building foreign policy, in particular, the ongoing work to strengthen good neighborliness, peace, and harmony in the Central Asian region.

In this context, Andrey Rusakov stressed the importance of Uzbekistan’s policy aimed at creating a new atmosphere of cooperation in the Central Asian region, developing trade-economic collaboration, and solving cross-border issues and environmental problems.

“It is necessary to pay tribute to President Shavkat Miromonovich, he is the only one who has set a goal: “zero problems with neighbors”, the expert noted. The new political reality in the region not only sets the tone for the socio-economic development of Central Asia, but also allows solving significant problems”.

The Director of the Center believes that it is time to include the solution of environmental problems of Central Asia in the political agenda of the region’s state. “The Aral Sea disaster is not only a problem of Uzbekistan, its consequences will sooner or later hit the entire Eurasian continent”, A. Rusakov noted. Therefore, he believes it is necessary to involve the entire international community in solving this problem as widely as possible”.

Following the meeting, the parties expressed readiness to expand research ties further and organize several practical events to develop expert dialogue.

UzA