20
Opening statement of Regional Director of the
Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Central Asia
Henriette Kiefer
Dear Vladimir Norov,
Dear Peter Burian,
Dear representatives of the Uzbek parliament and government Sadik Safoev and
Abdujabar Abduvakhitov,
Dear excellencies,
Honored guests of our round table,
In the name of the
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung I want
to welcome you and thank you
for your interest in the future of
Uzbek-EU-relations.
The
Friedrich-Ebert-
Stiftung is happy to support
this round table and an
ongoing
open
discussion
about common challenges
for
Uzbekistan,
Central
Asia
and
the
EU
that has become possible
because of a new and
fruitful
dynamic
in
Uzbek
foreign
policy
and an openness for a revived
regional cooperation in Central Asia.
The preparation for a new EU Central Asia Strategy gives us the possibility to discuss
important questions of a successful political, economic and social development in Uzbekistan
and its neighbourhood and the possibilities of how the European Union can play a crucial
role in enhancing it.
Uzbekistan is the Central Asian state with the biggest population of over
30 million people. Also it has a very young population where almost half of it is aged under 30 years.
A stable and economically successful Uzbekistan therefore ensures a stable and successful
development in Central Asia. And a stable and prosperous Central Asia is an important
partner for the European Union, as an economic partner, but also a partner in the fight
against terrorism, illegal trafficking and organized crime.
I am very happy that today a great number of Uzbek experts are going to give
us presentations on these various questions and I wish you a very interesting discussion!
Thank you.