The Mediterranean Institute of Asia and Africa is a non-profit think tank founded in 2017. The aim of the Institute is to promote dialogue between Italy and the countries of Asia and Africa, to strengthen and promote international cooperation in the field of economics and culture, science and research.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leading companies, research institutes of Italy, as well as ISMAA experts.
The representative composition of the meeting participants made it possible to discuss in detail the issues of deepening Uzbek-Italian relations, the current state and prospects of regional cooperation in Central Asia, as well as the role of Brussels and Rome in ensuring the sustainable development of the region.
As the director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Aripov noted, contacts between our peoples have a centuries-old tradition of diplomatic, trade, economic and cultural ties. Today, the interaction of the countries is filled with new content, cooperation at the level of ministries and departments, regions, as well as between the business circles of Uzbekistan and Italy is consistently expanding.
Speaking about regional cooperation, the Director of ISMI stressed that today Central Asia is becoming more consolidated and stable in the face of internal and external challenges.
Separately assessing the current state of relations between the countries of Central Asia and the European Union, Eldor Aripov noted that the multilateral dialogue between the two regions has reached a qualitatively new level.
Today, the EU is one of the major trade, economic and investment partners of the region. The European Union accounts for more than a third of the total volume of foreign trade in Central Asia, as well as about 40% of all attracted investments.
In turn, the Italian side confirmed Rome's great interest in the positive changes taking place in recent years in Uzbekistan and in Central Asia as a whole.
As the former Italian Ambassador to Uzbekistan R. Manar stressed, the large-scale reforms implemented in the country under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev have a significant impact on the entire region. "Stability and predictability" are becoming, thanks to Uzbekistan, the hallmark of the entire Central Asian region. Italy fully supports them and is ready to provide all possible assistance to the sustainable development of the region.
Following the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Mediterranean Institute of Asia and Africa.
Within the framework of the document, it is planned to implement joint research projects, publish their results, hold conferences and round tables on topical issues of bilateral relations and regional cooperation.
