On September 13 this year ISRS hosted a meeting between the Director of the Institute Eldor Aripov and the head of the geopolitical department of the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung Thomas Fasbender.

During the conversation, the parties exchanged views on expanding multilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany ahead of the visit of German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Germany is one of the most important European partners of Uzbekistan, and was among the first to recognize the independence of our country. For more than 30 years, Berlin has been providing effective support for the sustainable development of Uzbekistan. An intensive political dialogue is maintained, inter-parliamentary ties are developing. Mutual trade is growing, and the list of joint investment projects is expanding.

 Against this background, confidence was expressed that the upcoming official visit of Chancellor O. Scholz to Uzbekistan will fill the bilateral agenda with new "breakthrough" areas, and bring cooperation to the level of a comprehensive partnership.

Highly appreciating the current positive dynamics of strengthening relations, the interlocutors pointed to the existing opportunities for cooperation in such areas as professional education, training and advanced training of personnel. For modern Uzbekistan, which has a huge demographic potential, these areas are of considerable interest.

In turn, Germany is also interested in expanding cooperation in these areas. According to some estimates, Germany today experiences a labor shortage of 2 million people, and by 2035 this figure will already be 7 million.

The guest's attention was also drawn to Tashkent's constructive policy on the Afghan track, which has been implemented in recent years. It was noted that Uzbekistan is purposefully involving Kabul in trade and economic ties, facilitating the training of Afghan specialists on its territory, assisting in solving socio-economic problems, and regularly providing humanitarian aid. Moreover, it was emphasized that the economic recovery of Afghanistan and its consistent involvement in interregional trade ties are important factors in achieving a strong and long-term peace in this country. A stable Afghanistan opens up unique strategic opportunities for strengthening not only transregional connectivity, but also maintaining security in the vast expanse of Eurasia. During the meeting, the parties also recognized that Uzbekistan serves as an important platform for regular expert dialogue between Germany and the Central Asian countries on Afghan issues. Thus, on August 27 of this year,  In Tashkent, together with the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, a roundtable was organized on the topic: "Afghanistan and the Taliban - the position of regional and global players". On September 11-12, 2024, ISRS and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation successfully held an international round table on the topic "Central Asia and Afghanistan: A Vision for a Common Future".

Berliner Zeitung is the largest circulation daily newspaper in the Berlin-Brandenburg region (FRG). It was founded on May 21, 1945. Initially published in the GDR, but after the unification of the country, Berliner Zeitung was acquired by West German media groups and received recognition as the leading newspaper in Berlin.