The Third “EU–Central Asia” Economic Forum in Tashkent Reaffirms Its Key Role in Advancing Regional Economic Cooperation
2025-11-26 19:40:00 / News
The Third “EU – Central Asia” Economic Forum held in Tashkent reaffirmed its role as a key platform for regional dialogue and coordinated economic solutions. Delegations from 32 countries participated, with EU Commissioners Jozef Síkela and Marta Kos leading the European side.
Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjayev emphasized that bilateral trade has quadrupled over the past seven years, reaching €54 billion. The EU remains Uzbekistan’s largest investor.
The importance of the GSP and GSP+ schemes was highlighted, as they expanded market access and accelerated technological modernization. In 2024, the EBRD allocated $2.26 billion to Central Asia, including $938 million to Uzbekistan.
At the “Enhancing connectivity” session, Uzbekistan was represented by Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Akram Aliyev, who stressed the importance of logistics development, digitalization of procedures, and support for private-sector initiatives.
Forum discussions covered investment climate, human capital, regional integration and resilient value chains. Six cooperation documents were signed in the fields of ecology, irrigation, geodata and regulatory development.