Prospects for expanding cooperation with the EBRD discussed

On September 27 this year, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev received a delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development headed by EBRD Vice President Jurgen Rigterink.

The meeting was also attended by EBRD Secretary General Koguchi Kazuhiko, EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia and Mongolia Zhuzhanna Hargitai and the leadership of the EBRD Office in Uzbekistan.

During the conversation, the current state and prospects for deepening cooperation between the financial institution and Uzbekistan in priority areas were discussed.

In particular, it was noted that Uzbekistan over the past two years has become the largest recipient of EBRD funds in the region and the 5th largest direction of EBRD investments in 2021. The parties also noted with satisfaction the compliance of the current EBRD country strategy for 2018-2023 with the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy for 2022-2026. We are talking about such areas as supporting the development of the private sector, expanding regional and international cooperation and integration, as well as promoting environmentally friendly energy and resource solutions.

The progress of investment cooperation was considered: from 2018 to the present, the EBRD has been implementing 13 projects in Uzbekistan in the areas of development of the energy sector, water supply and solid waste disposal. In addition, the portfolio of investment projects under development consists of 8 projects worth more than $924 million. The parties outlined the format for further interaction on the accelerated promotion of current and new project initiatives.

The prospects for EBRD support for such priority economic and structural reforms in Uzbekistan as the privatization of state-owned enterprises and the development of the capital market were discussed. Opening the topic, the bank’s management highly appreciated the consistency and timeliness of the structural reforms being carried out in the country, expressing readiness to strengthen cooperation in the framework of their implementation.

The parties also considered the preparation of international events at a high organizational level, including the Annual Meeting of the EBRD Board of Governors in Samarkand in 2023. An agreement was reached to continue close interaction with the technical mission of the EBRD, with the aim of holding events at the highest organizational and substantive level.

As a result of the meeting, further actions were identified to promote joint programs and initiatives considered during the negotiations.

 

Source: mift.uz