Arnold & Porter Supports Investment Promotion in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer is assisting the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the United States in attracting trade and investment to the most populous country in Central Asia.

The firm was retained on 13 February and is preparing a report scheduled for submission by mid-March, which will highlight improvements in Uzbekistan’s investment climate over the past decade.

Thomas Shannon, an international policy advisor at A&P, is leading the Uzbekistan project. He previously served as the third-ranking official in the U.S. State Department—as Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs—and oversaw U.S. relations with the Russian Federation.

A&P is charging a special fee of US$70,000 for the report, below the firm’s standard commercial rates.

On 18 February, the United States signed an agreement with Uzbekistan granting American companies enhanced access to the country’s gold, uranium, and copper reserves, as well as critical minerals such as lithium and tungsten.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump sought to strengthen U.S. influence in five former Soviet Central Asian republics to counter the growing presence of Russia and China in the region.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the first meeting of Trump’s Council on Peace, held in Washington last month.