RIGA, February 2. /"Dunyo" IA/.The first-ever consular consultations in the history of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Latvia were held in the Latvian capital, "Dunyo" IA's correspondent reports.

Uzbek diplomats held productive negotiations with representatives of the Latvian Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Welfare, the State Border Guard, and the State Labour Inspectorate.

During the meeting, the parties reviewed the current state and future prospects of bilateral cooperation in the consular and migration fields. Particular attention was paid to the digitalization of consular services. The sides exchanged experience in registering citizens for consular records and discussed the conditions for mutual travel of citizens of both countries.

Special emphasis was placed on the protection of labor rights and the prevention of illegal migration. As a result of the agreements reached, a mechanism enabling citizens to directly contact the Latvian State Labour Inspectorate to safeguard their labor rights has been established on the official website of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Riga.

The Latvian side also confirmed its readiness to expedite the consideration of the draft intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Migration and Mobility, previously submitted by the Uzbek side.

A practical outcome of the negotiations with Latvian employers was an agreement to recruit more than 1,000 citizens of Uzbekistan on a legal basis within one year, providing them with decent working conditions and fair wages. In addition, the major transport and logistics company Kreiss expressed its intention to establish training centers in Uzbekistan for the training of professional drivers.

The consultations clearly demonstrate the systematic and targeted efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan to create safe, legal, and transparent labor migration mechanisms, expand international partnerships, and ensure reliable protection of the rights and interests of Uzbek citizens abroad.