Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Embassy of Uzbekistan in the UK, together with the British-Uzbek Friendship Society and the European-Uzbek Association for Economic Cooperation (EUROZ), organized an online seminar on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sustainability of the national economy, reports Dunyo. The technical organizer was Eurasian Investor.

The event was attended by over 220 representatives of political, business, financial, public and expert circles of foreign countries, as well as compatriots and journalists.

Uzbek and British diplomats, deputy director of the Center for Economic Research and Reform U. Abidkhodjaev, head of the European-Uzbek Association for Economic Cooperation O. Shaykhov, chairman of the British-Uzbek Friendship Society L. Skainer and partner of Dentons law firm in Uzbekistan E. Mannopov spoke at the webinar. The discussion was moderated by the head of Eurasian Investor E. Batmangelidzh.

Participants discussed the impact of the pandemic on the economy and reform program of Uzbekistan, the anti-crisis measures taken by the authorities to stimulate the economy in a global recession, the country's cooperation with international financial institutions, and the prospects for attracting foreign investment in the country in the post-crisis period.

Experts noted that, despite a certain negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the socio-economic situation in Uzbekistan, positive GDP growth rates will continue this year. This will be possible thanks to the diversification of the economy, the large-scale reforms undertaken in recent years to liberalize it, as well as timely anti-crisis measures undertaken by the country's leadership, which are widely supported by the population. At the same time, it was emphasized that even key international financial institutions almost unanimously predict the country's economic recovery to a pre-crisis level and its dynamic growth in 2021.

A mini-survey was also conducted among the participants during the webinar, according to which about 80% of respondents expressed confidence that after the pandemic, Uzbekistan would become even more attractive to foreign investors, including British.