On November 17, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with the OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid.

Issues of further developing cooperation with the OSCE in all three dimensions of its activities – economic, environmental, political and humanitarian were discussed.

The recent intensification of contacts and the development of open and constructive dialogue were noted with satisfaction.

Only this year – the year of the 30th anniversary of cooperation – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Zbigniew Rau and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Uzbekistan. Cooperation develops with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Projects are being jointly implemented to develop digital skills among young people and within the framework of the Strategy to Combat Terrorism and Extremism until 2026.

During the conversation, the importance of expert support of the OSCE structures was noted, especially in matters of continuing democratic reforms and developing civil society institutions in Uzbekistan.

The need for strengthening interaction in the economic and environmental dimension, the implementation of joint projects in the green economy, digitalization, small business and ecology was emphasized.

In discussing current regional and international security issues, special attention was paid to the situation in neighboring Afghanistan. An agreement was reached on implementing joint projects to address the pressing humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.

Source: UzA