Kristian Vigenin: An intergovernmental agreement on the supply of labour with Uzbekistan will protect both employers and workers

„The organised efforts of Uzbekistan to provide educated and disciplined staff for the European countries facing a labour shortage are impressive. Bulgarian business is already supported by more than 10,000 Uzbeks. There is still no intergovernmental agreement in this area, however, and that puts both employers and workers at risk, I hope this issue will be resolved quickly.“ This was stated in Tashkent by Kristian Vigenin during the official visit of a nine-member delegation of the European Parliament to Uzbekistan.

During the visit the 18th meeting of the European Union, Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee was held, at which the development of relations was discussed with an emphasis on trade and economic links and on cooperation in the fields of technology, education, tourism and visa facilitation for Uzbek citizens. The second main area of discussion was regional cooperation in Central Asia and the role of the EU and of Uzbekistan in this process. Here the discussion covered connectivity between the countries, transport and the large infrastructure projects. Uzbekistan’s ambition to speed up work on the so-called Middle Corridor (the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) is of enormous importance for the EU and is a great opportunity for Bulgaria too, since the entry point into the EU is envisaged to be the port of Burgas.

Relations with Afghanistan and the visit to Termez

„I am convinced that Uzbekistan’s strengthened contacts with the authorities in Afghanistan are not a reason for criticism but, on the contrary, create a channel of communication that is very important. In this case Tashkent can play the role of mediator on the most difficult issues, and I hope this will be appreciated and used by the European institutions“, stressed the head of the delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin during the meetings. He highlighted the role Uzbekistan has played in recent years in the overall shift of relations in the region towards cooperation and the gradual resolution of the disputed issues concerning borders, the use of the waters of international rivers and reservoirs, and the focus on creating connecting infrastructure that will strengthen the links between the countries. „The strongest confirmation of this role is the first EU, Central Asia Summit held in Samarkand a few days ago“, the Bulgarian MEP shared.

The European Parliament delegation also visited the city of Termez, where it learned about the development of the Termez Cargo Centre international transport and logistics hub on the border with Afghanistan, about the International Trade Centre, which also has a modern hospital, and about the Centre for Training Afghan Citizens, funded mainly by the EU.

Meetings in Uzbekistan and the next visit

After the series of meetings with the chairs of the Senate and of the Legislative Chamber and with the leaderships of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Justice, and of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, the MEPs also visited two universities, the branch of the Turin Polytechnic University, which is running an Erasmus+ project with the Technical University of Sofia, and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, where they met students and answered their questions. Erasmus+ is among the most successful EU programmes, and all Uzbek universities work under it, and its scope and funding should be expanded in the next multiannual EU budget, the leaderships of the two universities said.

The next visit to the region by the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Central Asia, of which Kristian Vigenin is a member, is planned for the autumn in Tajikistan.