Brussels, 23/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday the EU reiterated its desire to support Uzbekistan and the other countries of the Central Asian region to fight against drug trafficking towards Europe and against organised crime in general, by underlining that this fight will only be effective if the countries of the region first accept to cooperate between themselves. During the second meeting of the EU/Uzbekistan Cooperation Council, Tuesday in Brussels, under the co-presidency of Anna Lindh (for the EU) and the Uzbekistan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abduaziz Kamilov, Uzbekistan welcomed the action plan that the EU is developing (in the framework of the Tacis programme) to fight against drug trafficking in Central Asia. We welcome the desire for cooperation by the EU, said Mr Kamilov to the press, "as a joint effort would be necessary to fight this scourge". Mr Kamilov recognised that his country has become a country of transit for drugs from, among others, Afghanistan, towards the European and American markets. "Afghanistan is becoming a problem for all the countries of the region", he said (according to certain sources, 75% of the heroine consumed in Europe comes from Afghanistan). Mrs Lindh, recalled that the EU has already defined an action plan for the fight against drugs in Central Asia, but that its implementation is delayed by a certain lack of cooperation between the countries concerned and Mr Kamilov hoped that such cooperation beings rapidly.
The EU also raised the problem of respect for human rights, freedom of the press and the respect for democratic values and principals in Uzbekistan. "The parties will continue the cooperation "in these fields, states the joint press release, which indicates that the EU will notably examine through which additional aid it could help the countries to improve the functioning of the legal system. The EU 15 welcomed on Tuesday the decision by Uzbekistan to grant to International Red Cross representatives access to prisons and detention centres (where are notably held political opponents, according to certain sources) and court hearings. The Uzbekistan delegation also announced that all the citizens are free to express their opinions and the religious beliefs.
Uzbekistan has recently taken several measures aiming to liberalise its economy, notably in the monetary and trade fields. On Tuesday, its Minister for Foreign Affairs confirmed that the aim was to progress "as quickly as possible" towards establishing the convertibility of the national currency (the Sum). Uzbekistan also undertook to take additional steps in view of improving the conditions for foreign investments, and the EU is ready to help it in this effort, notably through its Tacis programme, said Mrs Lindh. Mr Kamilov also underlined, on Tuesday, his country's desire to take part on the Inogate programme (modernisation and extension of gas and oil transit infrastructures from the East towards the West) and to play a role of energy transit country.