Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A meeting was held at the International Institute of Central Asia with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Uzbekistan Aurelia Bouchez.

During the conversation, the Ambassador emphasized the unprecedented rise in the level of Uzbek-French relations in recent years. According to her, this was facilitated by the intensification of contacts between the two countries at the highest level.

The diplomat highly appreciated the results of the first visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in thirty years to Uzbekistan in November 2023, as well as the visit of the head of Uzbekistan to Paris in 2022, during which the first exhibition on the history of Central Asia was organized at the Louvre Museum entitled “Treasures of the oases of Uzbekistan. At the intersection of caravan routes."

Speaking about regional cooperation, the parties stated that the countries of Central Asia are developing effective multilateral formats of interaction within the framework of the “CA+EU” dialogue. As a founding member of the EU, France makes a huge contribution to the promotion of this platform, which this year will gather for the first time at its historic summit in Uzbekistan.

During the discussion, promising areas of cooperation between the parties were also considered. In particular, the ambassador noted that the experience of European countries, including France, in resolving regional issues of water use, transition to a “green” economy, environmental protection and other relevant areas of MICA research could be useful for Central Asia.

At the end of the meeting, Aurelia Bouchez expressed her readiness to assist in establishing cooperation between MICA and French analytical structures, such as the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS).