The United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan held their first consular consultations in Tashkent and established a joint consular committee. This step reflects the strength of the bilateral relations between the two countries and their commitment to enhancing cooperation in consular services and facilitating the affairs of their citizens. The meetings in the Uzbek capital discussed methods for exchanging expertise and improving institutional coordination, aiming to elevate service quality in line with the continuous growth in relations between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent.
The United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Uzbekistan convened the first round of consular consultations in Tashkent to discuss ways to enhance consular cooperation and exchange expertise in areas of mutual interest. The goal is to improve the quality of consular services provided to the citizens of both countries. The UAE delegation was headed by Faisal Issa Lutfi, the Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Uzbek delegation was led by Shirzad Baturov, Head of the Consular and Legal Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
At the beginning of the meeting, Faisal Issa Lutfi conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, wishing for the consultations to be successful and achieve their desired goals. He expressed his pleasure that UAE-Uzbek relations are witnessing continuous development and rapid growth across various fields, reflecting the commitment of the leaderships of both countries to strengthen their bilateral partnership and expand cooperation, particularly in priority sectors that serve mutual interests, support sustainable development efforts, and contribute to further progress and prosperity for both friendly nations.
Faisal Issa Lutfi also emphasized that the first round of consular consultations represents an important step toward enhancing institutional cooperation between the two sides and developing coordination mechanisms in consular affairs. This will facilitate the exchange of expertise and best practices, improving the services provided to the citizens of both countries. He expressed hope that these consultations will continue regularly, contributing to the development of consular procedures and enhancing service quality through ongoing collaborative efforts and constructive coordination.
For his part, Shirzad Baturov praised the depth of bilateral relations between the UAE and Uzbekistan, characterized by close coordination and strong partnerships at various levels. He emphasized the importance of expanding the scope of joint consular work and enhancing coordination to improve the consular services provided to the citizens of both friendly nations.
The consular consultations included discussions on several topics and files of mutual interest, in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding regarding the establishment of the joint consular committee. This will provide an institutional platform for exchanging expertise, best practices, and the latest developments related to consular work, supporting the delivery of more efficient, proactive, and flexible services that meet the needs of the citizens of both countries and exceed their expectations.