Uzbekistan and the European Union expressed readiness to develop long-term and mutually beneficial partnership on a wide range of issues both in bilateral format and at interregional level during the 13th meeting of the EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council, said the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

An agreement on interregional cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has entered into force, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a message July 17.

New areas of cooperation will be considered during the next meeting of the EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a message.

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) Stefano Manservisi discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU), including the upcoming bilateral contacts, on July 14, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a message.

The trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan increased by 1.5 times in 1H2017 compared to the same period of 2016.

A delegation of the European Union representatives led by Stefano Manservisi, director-general of the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) has arrived in Tashkent, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a message.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan discussed organization of Uzbek cargo transportation through Kazakh port of Kuryk on the Caspian Sea.

A tourist zone called “Samarkand city” will be created in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand city until 2020, according to the decree of the country’s Cabinet of Ministers.

The tariffs for central heating and hot water will be increased by 4.8 percent in Tashkent from July 21, 2017, Tashteploenergo production union said.

Uzbekistan will not restore its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the country’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said.