On March 19, 2025, at the Gellért Campus, the declaration was signed on behalf of Corvinus University by Rector Bruno van Pottelsberghe and Sanjar Valiyev, Director of the Center for Foreign Policy Studies and International Initiatives under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The agreement was also co-signed by Tamás Bartus, Vice-Rector for Faculty and Research at Corvinus University. 

The signing ceremony was attended, in addition to the signatories, by Borbála Schenk, Head of the Department for International Cooperation, and Péter Racskó, Head of the Department for Strategy and Analysis, representing the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office). The Uzbek delegation included Aybek Shakhavdinov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Budapest. 

Prior to the signing, a workshop titled “Central Asia and the European Union on the Eve of the Samarkand Summit” was held. Participants proposed a rethinking of cooperation between the European Union and Central Asia in a fundamentally changing global landscape. They explored how the development of economic relations during the formation of a new world order—characterized by “multipolarization”—could contribute to the emergence of a new security system. The recommendations developed at the workshop could provide valuable input for the professional preparation of the EU–Central Asia Summit to be held in Uzbekistan on April 3–4. 

Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, the Corvinus Center for Central Asia Research and its Uzbek partner have begun developing a joint research project titled “Mapping the Common Strategic Interests of the European Union and Central Asia in the Age of Multipolarization.” 

Following the signing of the declaration, Rector Bruno van Pottelsberghe stated:

The Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Corvinus University of Budapest and the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies and International Initiatives of Uzbekistan provides a solid framework for joint research and initiatives. The proposed research project aims to address key questions in a period of uncertainty and risk, foster broad expert debate, and formulate recommendations to support policy-making and strategic planning.