Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan visits the USA
20/04/2019 18:30
Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan visits the USA
20/04/2019 18:30
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 16-17 April 2019, a delegation of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiyev visited the United States on a working visit, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan said.
A fruitful meeting was held with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of Wilbur Ross to Uzbekistan in October 2018 and the Uzbek-American business forum was reviewed.
As noted during the meeting, the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018 allowed the relations between the countries to a new level. Progress is observed in all areas of the bilateral agenda. Cooperation in the trade and investment sphere has received special development. The volume of trade between Uzbekistan and the United States over the past year has almost doubled, the number of joint ventures is increasing.
The meeting also discussed preparation for a number of important joint events, in particular, a major business forum in Navoi on 16-17 May, the first “certified trade mission” of the US Department of Commerce to Uzbekistan on 18-20 June and the annual Uzbek -American business forum in Washington on 21-22 October.
An exchange of views took place on the prospects for cooperation within the framework of technical assistance programs of the Ministry of Agriculture and the US Treasury, and measures were discussed to expand cooperation in the use of financial instruments and concessional loans from Eximbank and OPIC, as well as the newly created US International Development Finance Corporation, in which Uzbekistan will be given priority attention.
In this context, the Minister congratulated the Government of the Republic on raising the country’s credit rating according to the OECD classification to the 5th category. It should be noted that the improvement of the position of our country will contribute to attracting the latest American technologies and know-how to Uzbekistan with the active support of these financial institutions.
A representative of the US administration welcomed the republic’s desire to become a member of the WTO. The timeliness and practical significance of sending an expert from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Uzbekistan as an advisor to the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade on issues of joining the said organization were noted.
Separately the sides discussed the measures taken by the Government of Uzbekistan to protect intellectual property rights. As noted during the negotiations, the adoption of laws on ratification by the Republic of the Geneva Convention on phonograms of 1971 and treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization in the field of the Internet, together with achievements in the field of eliminating child and forced labor, create the necessary prerequisites for maintaining the status of the beneficiary country of the General Preference System, involving the possibility of duty-free trade with the United States.
At the meetings of the delegation of Uzbekistan with the Deputy Assistant to the President - Senior Director for South and Central Asia of the National Security Council of the United States Liza Curtis, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Ellis Wells, as well as a special adviser to the Vice President of South and Central Asia Michael Catron took place a thorough exchange of views on the prospects of the Uzbek-American interaction in the political, trade, investment and cultural-humanitarian spheres.
The important aspects of international and regional politics and security are discussed. Appreciation was expressed to the American side for the increase in the volume of financial and technical assistance provided to Uzbekistan in the framework of various US government programs.
With the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, William Lary Macdonald, prospects for attracting highly qualified consultants to help develop proposals for the development of fiscal policy, public debt management and investment, improving the efficiency of the budget process, strengthening the banking sector, and counteracting economic crimes were discussed. At the end of May, it is planned to organize a visit of representatives of the US Treasury Technical Assistance Office to Uzbekistan to determine the most priority areas and forms of interaction.
During the meeting with the Acting Deputy Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cindy Lodge, an exchange of views was held on practical measures to increase fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan. Following the results, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and Mineral Resources and the USGS. The document provides for the establishment of cooperation in the field of geology, as well as the organization of joint trainings and educational programs for Uzbek specialists.
During the talks with Carolyn Lemm, Chairman of the US-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, a number of promising projects of chamber’s member companies in Uzbekistan, as well as measures to accelerate the implementation of the Road Maps adopted following two business forums in New York and the city of Tashkent in 2017-2018 and in the framework of the visit to the highest level in the United States in May 2018 were discussed.
In general, according to the Embassy in Washington, the visit of the Uzbek delegation to the United States allowed us to hold a series of fruitful meetings in specific areas of bilateral cooperation, identify areas that require increased interaction, and agree on measures to further expand and deepen trade and investment relations.
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