Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 23 April, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov held a video conference with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Poland, Jadwiga Emilewicz.

The current state and prospects for the development of bilateral investment and trade and economic cooperation, as well as the prospects for the implementation of joint measures to minimize the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy of the two countries were discussed.

The parties emphasized that the resumption of the work of the Uzbek-Polish Intergovernmental Commission will give impetus to the expansion of economic cooperation between the countries. In this vein, Jadwiga Emilewicz supported the organization of the 7th meeting of the IGC and a joint business forum with the participation of business circles of the two countries as the epidemiological situation in the world improves.

Moreover, in order to expand trade and investment cooperation promising areas were announced - light industry, agriculture, healthcare, education. Specific measures were discussed to accelerate the implementation of such projects as the construction of a modern European cardiology clinic in cooperation with the Polish company Irimed in Tashkent, the opening of a branch of the Polish Collegium Humanum Management University in Andijan region, the creation of an Uzbek textile trading house in Lodz (Poland).

Separately, issues of financial and technical cooperation were considered - work will be accelerated on the allocation of preferential credit lines of the Government of Poland in the amount of $ 50 million for the modernization of agriculture and housing and communal infrastructure.

Jadwiga Emilewicz also announced Poland’s readiness to provide comprehensive assistance to the process of the Republic of Uzbekistan joining the World Trade Organization, agreeing on a draft Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union, as well as obtaining the status of a beneficiary country of the “GSP +” system.

As a result of the videoconference, an agreement was reached on creating a mechanism of ongoing consultations at the level of deputy ministers of foreign economic departments in order to work out new areas of cooperation in the trade, economic, investment, financial, technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as monitoring the progress of the agreements reached.