The Mayor's Office of Yunusobod, a district of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, met with the Mayor of Tournai, Marie Christine Marghem, Tuesday, February 25, 2025. The meeting was organized by the initiative of Derya Soysal and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Brussels.

Mayor Bokhadir Abduvaliev emphasized the desire to strengthen cooperation between the two cities (Yunusobod and Tournai).

The Uzbek mayor particularly highlighted the interest in cooperating in the fields of ecology, culture, environment, and energy. Mayor Marie-Christine E.F. Marghem, who was the Federal Minister of Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development from 2014 to 2020, expressed her readiness to provide the necessary expertise to cooperate in the energy and environmental fields with Uzbekistan, the municipality of Yunusobod, through the Embassy.

Mayor Bokhadir Abduvaliev emphasized Uzbekistan's interest in undergoing an energy transition. During the meeting, the Uzbek mayor cited the government decision made by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to declare this year as the year dedicated to environmental protection and the green economy. This is why the country has started new ecological initiatives since January. Furthermore, he noted that his municipality and the country, in general, want to develop Smart Cities. Therefore, Belgian-Uzbek cooperation will be enriching in the development of these projects. Smart cities often rely on high-efficiency energy systems, solar panels, and energy-saving devices. Thus, discussing cooperation with a Mayor, former Minister of Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development, would be highly beneficial for Yunusobod and Tournai.

Finally, there was a discussion about cultural and tourism cooperation. Specifically, the need to attract Uzbek tourists to Tournai and Tournai tourists to Tashkent. For this, the Mayor and the Mayor discussed the possibility of twinning Yunusobod and Tournai. This cultural link would notably allow for economic and political cooperation.