Uzbekistan, Tashkent, July 25 /Trend D.Azizov/
EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Patricia Flor will visit Uzbekistan on July 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend on Wednesday.
"The purpose of the visit is the discussion of the status and prospects of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU on a bilateral and inter-regional format," the foreign ministry official said.
According to the MFA, Uzbekistan's relations with European countries are developing both at a bilateral level and within the framework of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the Republic and the European Communities and their member states which came into force on the first of July 1999.
Dialogue between the European Union and Uzbekistan is carried out in the framework of five joint bodies: the Cooperation Council, Cooperation Committee, the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Subcommittee on Trade as well as the Investment Sub-Committee on Justice and Home Affairs.
Patricia Flor was appointed Special Representative for Central Asia on June 25, 2012 by the EU Council. She took office on July 1. Her mandate runs until June 30, 2013.
Earlier Flor served as the German Foreign Ministry special envoy for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.
According to the European Foreign Service, currently the EU Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the European Union endorsed a strategy for a new and expanded partnership with the Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Human rights, rule of law, proper governance, democratisation, youth and education, economic development, trade and investment, energy and transport, environment and water resources have been observed as priority areas of strategy.
At the same time, the region faces new challenges, particularly related to the situation in Afghanistan and security issues have come to occupy an important place in the relations of these countries with the EU.
An enlarged EU presence in the region will facilitate the implementation of projects aimed at strengthening security and stability.
Enlarged EU presence in the region will facilitate the implementation of projects aimed at strengthening security and stability.