The next round of the dialogue on strengthening the civil society in Uzbekistan and EU nations will take place in Tashkent in 2017. That has been the decision agreed on by the participants of a meeting of the subcommittee “Uzbekistan – European Union” on justice, home affairs, human rights and related issues, held in Brussels.

The Uzbek side was represented by a delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Justice, while the European side was represented by a delegation led by the head of division of the European External Action Service for Cooperation with Central Asia.

In a candid atmosphere the officials discussed a wide range of issues, including the prospects of cooperation development. The dialogue agenda comprised human rights issues, the consolidation of civil society in Uzbekistan and the EU member states, as well as the prospects for interaction on these fronts on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference with the internal affairs.

A separate item for participants to deliberate on was combating terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, border control, customs and development of the judicial system, the current state and prospects of bilateral relations in these areas. In this regard, they noted the importance of continued monitoring and cooperation with international and regional organizations such as the UN, ILO and the OSCE.

The European Union welcomed the participation of a full-fledged OSCE mission to observe the presidential election in Uzbekistan, which took place on December 4. The EU praised the efforts directed at the modernization of the relevant legislation, such as the forthcoming reform of the judiciary, the draft law on the fight against corruption and measures to improve the business climate. In this context, the sides discussed the economic and social rights.