The European Union — Central Asia summit will be held in Samarkand in April, assistant to the president of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva announced following her meeting with the EU ambassador to Uzbekistan Toivo Klaar.
The EU delegation to Uzbekistan confirmed this information to Gazeta.uz.
“We believe that the upcoming EU-Central Asia summit will significantly strengthen our ties. The new EU leadership is truly committed to expanding relations with Uzbekistan and Central Asia. We are grateful to president Mirziyoyev for proposing Samarkand as the venue for this first-ever EU-Central Asia summit,” the EU ambassador told Gazeta.uz.
Saida Mirziyoyeva and Toivo Klaar discussed bilateral preparations for the summit.
“Mr. Klaar expressed his commitment to supporting our reforms aimed at legal protection and economic empowerment of women,” Mirziyoyeva stated in her post.
According to her, the ambassador also noted that “Uzbekistan carefully preserves its rich history, which should always be a source of pride and contribute to strengthening the country’s national identity”.
The first full-scale EU-Central Asia summit was scheduled for spring 2024 in Samarkand, but was postponed to the first half of this year.
Former EU special representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala expressed regret over the delay in a December interview with Gazeta.uz. She emphasized that the postponement was solely due to the complexities of last year, as the EU was forming a new government.
“We are very grateful to your president and government for extending the invitation to host this first-ever EU-Central Asia summit,” Hakala said at the time, adding that the meeting was crucial for solidifying the high-level dialogue that had developed over the years.