Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12
By Anakhanum Hidayatova – Trend:
Ambassador-at-Large of Latvia’s Foreign Ministry, Igors Apokins, has met with representatives from the public administration institutions of Uzbekistan who had arrived in Latvia to gain experience in the sector of public administration reforms, said the Latvian Foreign Ministry in a message.
The visit is part of a broader project funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Uzbekistan and was arranged in association with the Latvian Foreign Ministry.
“Solid and sustainable development of the Central Asian region is one of Latvia’s priorities in its development cooperation,” says the message.
In his address, the ambassador emphasized the good relations and successful cooperation between Latvia and Uzbekistan.
Apokins said he was glad that those working for the public sector of Uzbekistan have appreciated reforms carried out by Latvia and are prepared to draw on Latvia’s experience in order to reform public administration in their country. Latvia will continue providing support through sharing expertise in the sectors such as good governance, the rule of law, economic and agricultural development, border security, introducing environmentally friendly technologies, and education.
Apokins highlighted in particular the highly successful cooperation in education, which is evidenced by the numbers of Uzbek students at Latvia’s universities increasing year on year.
The ambassador thanked the UNDP for fruitful long-term cooperation and reaffirmed Latvia’s readiness to work further together in development cooperation projects.
During their visit from May 7 to May 12, officials from Uzbekistan visited Latvian public authorities to explore public administration structure, personnel management in public administration and local governments, the system of remuneration of civil servants, corruption prevention in civil service, and the enforcement of the Civil Law and Administrative Law. The visitors had an opportunity to meet with officials at the State Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Corruption Prevention and Combatting Bureau, the Riga City Council, and the School of Public Administration.
The Uzbek delegation included representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Labor, the Federation of Trade Unions, and UNDP Uzbekistan.