BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11
By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:
The new European Union financial assistance for Uzbekistan in the period 2021 through 2027 will be aimed at mitigating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and reducing poverty in the country, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov and EU Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan discussed issues of cooperation in combating the spread of coronavirus during a video conference on June 10.
"Priorities for further cooperation have been identified - mitigation of the negative impact of COVID-19 on the economy of Uzbekistan and poverty reduction, to which it is planned to allocate a significant funding within the next EU budget period," the message of the Ministry said.
It was agreed to intensify work on accelerating the agreement on the draft Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the EU, in particular, the prospects of holding the next, sixth round of negotiations via videoconference in the near future.
In late April, the EU representation in Uzbekistan announced that the EU would provide Uzbekistan with 36 million euros to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
The EPCA will replace the agreement on partnership and cooperation, which has been in force since 1999. Earlier, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov announced that the EU and Uzbekistan expect to sign EPCA during 2020.
---
Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini