Transcript of the press conference in German only

The migration agreement was based on the same pattern as the agreements the Federal Government was seeking to gradually put in place with many countries across the world, said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a statement delivered to the press in Samarkand in Uzbekistan on Sunday.

Before signing the agreement, Scholz visited the famous Registan square in Samarkand and spoke to Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in private. The Federal Chancellor reported that they had talked about the development of business relations, as well as the Russian war of aggression. On Monday the Federal Chancellor attended the German-Uzbek business roundtable together with a business delegation from Germany.

The most important points from the Federal Chancellor’s press statement:

• Migration agreement: The agreement to form a mobility partnership for migration allowed for the “essential immigration of highly gifted workers that we need in Germany,” Federal Chancellor Scholz explained. He added that it also provided for simple, non-bureaucratic procedures “for returning those who must go back”.
• Expanding bilateral relations: The conversation with President Mirziyoyev also focussed on plans to deepen bilateral relations, and on how German companies and Uzbekistan’s development goals can complement each other. Uzbekistan has the second biggest national economy in Central Asia and vast mineral resource reserves.
• Further topics: Other issues addressed in the conversations included the geographic situation of the country as Afghanistan’s neighbour, development towards democratisation in Uzbekistan and the Russian war of aggression.

The Federal Chancellor’s trip to Central Asia: Olaf Scholz is visiting Central Asia for three days from 15 to 17 September. His first stop is Uzbekistan, followed by Kazakhstan. It is his first trip to the region in his role as leader of the government. The trip includes bilateral talks with the heads of state of the five countries that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that are known as the Z5 (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). At the “Z5+1” summit on Tuesday, there will also be a multilateral meeting between the group of states and Germany. A strategic regional partnership was established at the first Z5+1 meeting in Berlin last year. Another goal of the Federal Chancellor’s trip is therefore to continue to breathe life into this regional partnership.