TASHKENT. May 30 (Interfax) - The first European Union diplomat has begun working in Uzbekistan and is due to prepare everything necessary for the work of the EU delegation to this republic, the Czech Embassy to Uzbekistan said.
The first political diplomat from the European External Action Service, Czech citizen Ondrej Simek, has assumed office in Tashkent and thus began the work of the EU delegation, the diplomatic mission said on Saturday.
He is in charge of organizational matters. The opening ceremony of the EU delegation is expected later this year.
We are glad that a Czech citizen was historically elected as the first head of the EU delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan. His role is to prepare everything required for the work of the delegation, including to select a residence, the embassy said.
The decision to set up an EU delegation to Uzbekistan was made during Uzbek President Islam Karimov's visit to Brussels in January 2011. The EU office in Tashkent is intended to help EU countries to coordinate cooperation with Uzbek partners more efficiently.