A delegation of Human Rights Watch (HRW) will visit Uzbekistan in August, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov announced at a press conference following the Uzbekistan-EU Cooperation Council.
According to Kamilov, the delegation will be led by HRW Steve Swerdlow, a researcher on Central Asia for HRW. He also noted that there is close contact with Kenneth Roth, the executive director at HRW.
Other similar organizations can come, we will cooperate with them, it is not that there is something that we would prefer to conceal or rule out from agenda. However, their arrival does not mean that Uzbekistan will agree with all " their requirements or terms, Kamilov added.
There should be a two-way traffic. If somewhere our interests do not coincide, this does not mean that any cooperation is ruled out. We have our own vision on some issues, they have their own. We have already proposed and publicly declared that we are ready to cooperate within a scope where our interests coincide and we are ready to jointly expand this scope, and discuss disputable issues, take decisions on them, so that there is more understanding between us, the Uzbek Foreign Minister stressed.
Speaking about the relationship with the European Union, Kamilov noted that both sides are finding "more and more understanding on very sensitive issues." These include democratic reforms in Uzbekistan, human rights and political reforms, in general. A comprehensive agenda has been set up between the parties, the minister said.
