Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Chairman of the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce (AUCC) Carolyn Lamm praised the anti-crisis measures undertaken by the Uzbek leadership to mitigate the effects of the spread of coronavirus in the republic, Dunyo reports.

“On behalf of the American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce, I would like to emphasize the solidarity of our members in supporting the people of Uzbekistan in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. - Despite the restrictions due to a new viral infection, we continue to work to increase the economic development of Uzbekistan by providing humanitarian and commercial assistance. We welcome the efforts undertaken in the Republic of Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to take anti-crisis measures that help improve the welfare of the Uzbek people, private companies, foreign enterprises and investors.

Of particular note are the actions of the leadership of Uzbekistan aimed at supporting the economy and business.

In particular, the creation of a US$1 billion national anti-crisis fund will ensure the sustainable operation of all types of industry, services, trade, transport and logistics of the republic, introduce a financing mechanism to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country, and support entrepreneurship and employment through incentive programs, will expand its social support program for the most vulnerable groups. It also serves to stabilize the local economy by introducing interest-free budget loans to repay commercial loans, partially reimbursing logistics costs incurred by business entities engaged in foreign trade.

These reforms were voiced for members of the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce by the country’s deputy prime minister Sardor Umurzakov during a video conference on 27 March 2020. It was an honor for us to become the first entrepreneurial organization not only in Uzbekistan, but also in the city of Washington in holding such a high-level meeting on anti-crisis measures. We hope to continue the regular online dialogue with Uzbekistan in the fight against COVID-19, as well as in other areas.

In these difficult times, Uzbekistan also demonstrated its commitment to cooperate with international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce took the initiative to organize events with our partners in international financial institutions in order to increase their awareness of the regional role of Uzbekistan in the fight against the global pandemic.

So in April, a briefing was held on the topic “Global Economic Forecast for 2020 and Beyond: The USA, China, Central Asia and Financial Markets”. Presentations were made by Dr. ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Savada, EBRD Central Asia Lead Economist Eric Livny, Stefka Slavova, Leading Economist and Head of Practice, Finance, and Competitiveness of the World Bank, Pavel Lvov, Xtellus Capital Markets employee.

And at the briefing “Events of international financial institutions aimed at combating COVID-19 in Central Asia”, reports were made by ADB Director General Werner Liepah, IMF Director for Middle East and Central Asia Jihad Azur, EBRD Regional Director for Central Asia Lilia Burunchik.

The victory over COVID-19 requires a global partnership and we are lucky that we have friends in Uzbekistan who are actively and persistently fighting the pandemic, not only protecting their people, local private companies, but also foreign enterprises and investors.

This incredibly generous step on the part of the Republic of Uzbekistan instills great confidence among our companies to continue to work in Uzbekistan in times of crisis and to remain a reliable and conscientious business partner.

Trust is the most valuable “product” in the business. At the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, we trust Uzbekistan and its ability to deal with the pandemic. We welcome the quick response of Uzbekistan to the situation with COVID-19 and the timely adoption of new business standards that will undoubtedly lead to an increase in business partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan.