Connectivity between Europe and Central Asia: from the interview with European Commission Vice President

The Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis attended the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Samarkand on 16-18 May. During his visit to Uzbekistan, an interview was held with the General Secretary of EUROUZ, Oybek Shaykhov, they discussed the most important points of cooperation between Europe and Central Asia. The full version of the interview can be viewed here.

Valdis Dombrovskis highlighted that the dynamic development of relations between the EU and Uzbekistan is a reflection of the strategic importance that the EU attaches to Central Asia and Uzbekistan in particular. He also noted that the EU seeks to expand cooperation with Central Asia, not only in business, but also in politics. Dombrovskis mentioned the importance of issues related to sanctions and their circumvention. 

“We also see lots of potential for cooperation in new areas where our economies are now engaged in the process of green and digital transitions and in this context we see potential in cooperating in areas like renewables and also raw materials, because the green economy requires different inputs,” Dombrovskis said.

The Vice President also mentioned that he is willing to visit the EU-Central Asia Economic Cooperation Forum, which will be held in Almaty, and emphasize the importance of developing ties between the regions. He added: “So we are doing the assessment of alternative transport corridors, economic viability and we will also be willing to attract financing both from EU and private financing to address the bottlenecks and improve the connectivity, because that is one of the key questions for using the full potential of our relations.”

Oybek Shaykhov drew attention to the role of EUROUZ in supporting Uzbek and Central Asian companies when entering the European market. He asked how the Central Asian business community could be motivated to work with the European Union, given the complexity of import controls and high quality standards.

Dombrovskis acknowledged that the EU has high quality standards, but also offers clear and predictable rules for market access.

Photo: Yasin Akgul