Kenan AĞAZADE
Akram Umarov writes that at the end of September 2021, the European Union and Uzbekistan conducted the ninth round of negotiations on a draft of an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement (EPCA) in Brussels. Work on the new agreement began in 2019. The EU’s acceptance earlier this year of Uzbekistan as the ninth beneficiary country of the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) under the unilateral Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) was an important milestone on the path to discussing the larger enhanced partnership document.
There are several reasons for the EU’s ongoing interest in further strengthening relations with Tashkent.
First, following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan is an increasingly crucial regional partner for the EU. The EU was aware of U.S. and NATO coalition withdrawal plans, but the rapid collapse of the Ashraf Ghani administration was an unexpected development for Brussels. The immediate challenges related to the evacuation of European citizens and local partners were solved in close cooperation with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries. These countries provided logistical infrastructure for emergency evacuations .
After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, President of the European Council Charles Michel had phone calls with all of the Central Asian leaders from August 26–30. Moreover, on the bilateral level many European state officials either paid working visits to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan or had phone calls with regional partners discussing the situation in Afghanistan, its implications, and perspectives on coordination of efforts. This exchange will probably expand further in the near future based on mutual interests in providing security and stability in Afghanistan.
Second, the reopening of Uzbekistan after the change of leadership in 2016 was perceived optimistically in Brussels. The reform agenda declared by the new government of Shavkat Mirziyoyev found active encouragement in the EU as a starting point for deepening bilateral cooperation. Uzbekistan’s appeal for the EU’s support in the process of WTO accession also accelerated the trade partnership and contributed in confidence building between the sides. The EU would like to motivate further transformation of Uzbekistan and its following of international norms and standards. According to the priorities of the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy, in the long term these developments in Central Asia should increase the resilience of states and societies in the wider European neighborhood.
Third, Central Asia is a unique region in the world where we can observe enhanced and deepened regional cooperation, while disintegration processes are dominating in other parts of the world. As Brexit headlined in Europe in recent years, underscoring a degree of disintegration, in Central Asia Uzbekistan has played a positive role promoting regional cooperation and advancing economic, cultural exchange. The EU prioritizes active promotion of various regional integration process and subsequent creation of regional orders, offering a wide variety of support in different parts of the world. The EU started underlining its regional approach in the first ministerial meeting between the EU and Central Asian countries back in 2004. Therefore, current efforts to deepen regional cooperation in Central Asia are appraised positively by the EU, which continues to encourage such efforts. Finally, Uzbekistan has positive and productive relationship toward the EU and its interests in the region. Tashkent’s chief foreign policy objective is to maximize its own independence and sovereignty, from which follows an inclination toward what has been termed a “multi-vector” foreign policy. Uzbekistan views the EU as an important geopolitical actor in the world, whose presence in Central Asia further helps diversify its external relations. Diversification helps maintain balance. The EU, meanwhile, can contribute to regional cooperation in Central Asia in helping Uzbekistan break out of its isolation and achieve its goals of becoming a transport corridor linking Europe and Eurasia.