Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 24-26 February, a government delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Deputy Director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan U. Abidkhodjayev, was in Berlin (Germany).

The purpose of the visit was to clarify the main provisions of the annual Address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev Oliy Majlis, to convey to the representatives of economic and political circles of Germany the essence and significance of the initiatives put forward by the President of Uzbekistan, the democratic reforms aimed at the formation of a new Uzbekistan.

During the visit, promising areas of Uzbek-German cooperation were discussed, as well as topical issues of ensuring regional security, interaction with regional and global trade and economic structures. In particular, on 25 February, a meeting was held with Mr. E. Kinsbruner, Regional Director for Central Asia of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy.

According to E. Kinsbruner, the German business community welcomes Uzbekistan’s efforts to liberalize the foreign exchange market, protect property rights, create a competitive environment, reduce the role of the state in the economy, develop public-private partnerships, and expand regional cooperation.

At the meeting, U. Abidkhadjaev spoke about the analysis of the consequences of Uzbekistan’s entry into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by the Center. He also noted that CERR is conducting a similar study in the context of Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the results of which will be presented in the near future.

The CERR Deputy Director noted that these studies will minimize losses and costs through the development and implementation of proactive measures, and in the future, can support the Uzbek delegation in the negotiation process, including with the EAEU and WTO member countries.

The delegation of Uzbekistan, in accordance with the program of the visit, held a podium discussion on the topic: "On the way to a new Uzbekistan" at the Center for East European and International Studies (ZoiS).

During the meeting, the deputy director of the Center for Economic Research and Reform, U. Abidkhajaev, spoke in detail about the analysis of the possible integration of Uzbekistan into the WTO and the EAEU.

According to him, today Uzbekistan puts economic interests first and seeks to minimize risks when interacting with international economic unions. He noted that the integration of Uzbekistan into world and regional trade and economic systems can have both positive and negative effects. Moreover, according to the annual message of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, there is a question about the status of an observer in the EAEU, which will be decided by the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the country.

Answering the question in which sectors German business is expected to participate, U. Abidkhajaev noted that financial and technical cooperation carried out within the framework of socially significant projects in Uzbekistan in the field of healthcare, education, employment and other areas is an important component of Uzbek-German relations. Based on the Address of the President, the greater presence of German business in the field of the digital economy is welcomed, as Germany has a number of advantages in this area.

On the same day, a meeting was held with Mr. Matthias Joelius, Head of the Abstract of Central and Eastern Europe of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Speaking about the advantages of joining the country with the EAEU, U. Abidkhajaev noted the expected positive effects for the textile industry and the agricultural sector.

At the end of the day, the Uzbek delegation met with the chairman of the board of the Federal Association for the Support of Economics and Foreign Trade (BWA), Mr. Michael Schumann.

1. Abidhajaev provided information on cooperation with China in the framework of the One Belt and One Way.

He noted that the digital economy is a priority in cooperation with the German business community, it is especially important to involve German companies in creating online platforms aimed at developing agribusiness that would create an opportunity to eradicate poverty, similar to Taobao villages in China.

In conclusion, the CERR Deputy Director noted the importance of cooperation with partners from Germany in the field of education, in particular, in accordance with the Presidential Address, Uzbekistan was tasked with using the latest technologies that meet international standards, and in this direction Germany has great opportunities to use its experience in the market educational services in Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek-German cooperation, of course, demonstrates the serious intentions of Uzbekistan and Germany to bring cooperation between our countries to a qualitatively new, even higher level.