Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Poland

Videoconference with European Union representatives

Videoconferences have been held with EU representatives to discuss the supply of two mobile laboratories, as well as the needs of the Republic of Uzbekistan to restrain and struggle against COVID-19 within the framework of the project 53 of the European Union “Strengthening the National Legal Framework and Provision of Specialized Training on Bio-Safety and Bio-Security in Central Asian Countries”.

According to the State Committee on Industrial Safety, the event was attended by the State Committee on Industrial Safety of the Republic of Uzbekistan, CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) Regional Secretariat for Central Asia, Virology Institute, European Union, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology (Germany) and International Science and Technology Center (Kazakhstan), other international organizations and national coordinators of Central Asia’s partner countries.

During the negotiations, CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) Regional Secretariat for Central Asia expressed great hope for the speedy delivery of two mobile laboratories by the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology under project 53. Representatives of the Institute of Virology informed the project managers about the need for training in the operation of mobile laboratories, as well as for equipment for laboratory work in the fight against COVID-19.

The European Union had separately allocated about 700,000 euros for the fight against COVID-19 in the partner countries of Central Asia.

Otabek Kasimov, National Coordinator of the Republic of Uzbekistan, head of Inspectorate for Supervision of Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical and Bacteriological Weapons of the State Committee on Industrial Safety in his brief report spoke about the need for supplying to the Republic of Uzbekistan of pulsed UV units for air and open surfaces decontamination from all kinds of pathogens within the allocated EU financial assistance.

Following the event, participants agreed to continue active work on the early implementation of project 53 and strengthen regional cooperation.

Project 53 aims to raise awareness of the importance on biosafety and biosecurity issues with national stakeholders in the partner countries, as well as to promote national and regional cooperation on these issues.

Source: UzA