TASHKENT, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Uzbek government has approved a proposal for interaction with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as an observer state, the state news agency UzA said Saturday.
The proposal was initiated following research conducted by independent consulting companies, government agencies and foreign experts, and must be approved by the country's parliament first, the report said.
Since its independence, Uzbekistan has become a member of 120 international organizations and financial institutions, according to the country's First Deputy Foreign Minister Ilkhom Nematov.
Joining integration groups does not mean the loss of independence, said Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in January, referring to the proposal of joining the EAEU as an observer.
The EAEU is a regional bloc in Eurasia, whose member states include Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia.
