Politics

Germany and Uzbekistan have maintained bilateral relations since 1992. Germany has an embassy in Tashkent. Regular consultation formats are in place that focus on political, economic and cultural cooperation between Germany and Uzbekistan. Following reciprocal visits by the two heads of state in 2019, cooperation has been expanded. The countries have established an innovation partnership, and Germany is providing consultancy services with a view to supporting political efforts to liberalise the economy.

Economy

Germany is an increasingly important trading partner for Uzbekistan. Recently, there has been dynamic growth in the volume of bilateral trade, which amounted to approximately 1.3 billion euro in 2022 (ranking 66st among Germany’s foreign trading partners; source: Federal Statistical Office). Major German investors include MAN, Knauf, Gühring and Claas.

Development cooperation

Development cooperation between Germany and Uzbekistan was significantly expanded in 2019 and 2020. Following the realignment of development cooperation (the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2030 reform strategy), Uzbekistan will be the only recipient of state bilateral development cooperation in Central Asia in the future. Cooperation focuses on the following areas:

• Sustainable economic development, training and employment
• Health, social security and demographic policy
• Peace and social cohesion, as well as
• Climate and energy and a “just transition” (to a climate-friendly economic system) 

Uzbekistan is also involved in regional projects that strengthen regional cooperation in the area of the economy, in vocational training, in the microfinance sector and in the field of the environment, thereby preventing crises in a targeted manner. In addition, the country participates in cross-border regional activities, including projects that promote the rule of law in Central Asia and reforms to combat extremism .

The high-level conference “Green Central Asia – Enhancing environment, climate and water resilience” held in Berlin on 28 January 2020 launched a new German initiative focusing on the impact of climate change on regional security in Central Asia. The aim is to foster stronger regional cooperation (among the five Central Asian countries and Afghanistan), improve the exchange of information and form connections with academia and civil society.