On July 6, the initialling ceremony – the signing of the preliminary Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the European Union took place in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, the press office of the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade reports.
The head of the Uzbek delegation, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov and Head of the Cabinet of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Pedro Serrano attended the ceremony. The document will replace the 1996 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
The EPCA aims to build up cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU and bring it to a qualitatively new level. The provisions of the new document address issues related to trade, customs management, technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary control, dispute resolution, as well as foreign policy interaction, security, crisis management, counteraction to illegal migration, protection of personal data and counteraction to terrorism and organized crime.
The participants in the signing ceremony confirmed their readiness to work together towards putting the EPCA into force, noting that the new Agreement would enable Uzbekistan to successfully integrate into the world trading system.
