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EU to allocate 168 mln euros to Uzbekistan

02 July 2015 [12:40] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Aynur Karimova

The European Union will provide a financial assistance worth 168 million euros to Uzbekistan.

This remark was made by Yuri Sterk, the head of the EU delegation in Uzbekistan, on July 1 at a presentation of updated EU Strategy for Central Asia for 2014-2020, adopted last week.

Sterk told journalists that the EU issued 70.6 million euros to Uzbekistan in 2007-2013, and it is planned to increase the volume of EU financial assistance to Uzbekistan by over twice in 2014-2020.

The resources will be directed to support projects on the development of rural areas in Uzbekistan, in particular, improving irrigation infrastructure, introducing renewable energy in agribusiness, as well as assisting program on creation on jobs in the country's regions.

The EU will increase assistance to Central Asia by 1.5 times in 2014-2020 compared to previous seven-year project – to 1.068 billion euros.

Bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and the EU have been governed by a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement since 1999.

Funding for development cooperation is provided by the EU's Development Cooperation Instrument.

EU assistance to Uzbekistan focuses on rural and local development, rule of law and judiciary reform, trade facilitation and support to the private sector and small businesses.

The EU allocated 28.6 million euros to Uzbekistan in 2007-2010 and 42 million euros in 2011-2013.

The EU also allocated 23 million euros to the development of education in Uzbekistan in 1994-2010 in the framework of the Tempus program. The grants allocated to the reform of the criminal law in 2011-2014 amounted to 9.7 million euros, the protection of health of mother and child in 2012-2016 - some 6.7 million euros, and the training of business managers in 2013-2016 - some 3 million euros.

The EU and Uzbekistan also cooperate in the framework of a regional approach which includes all five Central Asian countries: the EU and Central Asia strategy for a new partnership (2007).

Uzbekistan also participates in several ongoing regional, thematic and bilateral programs.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/141895.html

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