Uzbekistan received observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). This decision was made on December 11 at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which was attended by the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

“We attach great importance to the development of close and multifaceted cooperation with the EAEU. It is important to tap the potential of our countries, jointly remove trade barriers,” he said in his remarks at the meeting.

He emphasized that the EAEU countries are Uzbekistan’s main, natural trade partners. In particular, in recent years, the volume of Uzbekistan’s trade with the EAEU states has almost doubled, with some countries - even in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of joint ventures were also set up with the participation of investments from the EAEU states.

“Today, the leading enterprises of Uzbekistan have established cooperation and are jointly tapping the markets of third countries. We are successfully implementing projects in metallurgy, agriculture, and the textile industry. We are considering the issue of establishing cooperation with the Eurasian Development Bank to support such projects, "said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to him, mutually beneficial relations within the vast Eurasian region are characterized by high mobility of labor resources. “We believe that close cooperation in this area will contribute to solving topical issues of employment, meeting the growing needs of the economies of our countries in skilled labour,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The President believes that Uzbekistan’s observer status in the EAEU will allow reaching a qualitatively new level of dialogue and cooperation, "to understand more deeply and better the rapid processes that are taking place within the union."

At the council meeting, Cuba also received observer status in the EAEU.