Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 20 July 2020, in Vienna, the Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Sherzod Asadov held meetings with UN Deputy Secretary General, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Gada Wali, Director General of the International Agency on Atomic Energy (IAEA) Rafael Grossi; and Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Lee Yong.

UN representatives positively assessed the large-scale transformations carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the socio-political and socio-economic spheres. The efforts being made in our country to support small and medium-sized businesses and the industrial sector, to prevent deterioration of the living conditions of the population, as well as to prevent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic were underlined.

Gada Vali highly appreciated the efforts of Uzbekistan in the field of preventing and combating corruption. She welcomed the creation of the Anti-Corruption Agency in Uzbekistan and expressed readiness to provide all possible assistance in its activities.

The parties discussed the state and prospects of interaction between Uzbekistan and the UNODC. The head of UNODC proposed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the said Agency and UNODC and to develop a Concept Note on support for the implementation of anti-corruption policies and strategies in the republic in accordance with international standards to determine specific areas of cooperation and mobilize donor funds for the implementation of projects.

The IAEA welcomes successful interaction in the development of Uzbekistan’s nuclear infrastructure, in particular, joint preparation for the mission, according to an integrated assessment, of the republic’s nuclear infrastructure (INIR mission), scheduled for December this year.

According to the head of the Agency, Rafael Grossi, "we are very satisfied with the progress of the nuclear program in Uzbekistan and believe that for new nuclear states your country is a model for building relations with the IAEA."

The head of the IAEA stressed the importance of cooperation with Uzbekistan within the framework of technical cooperation projects, incl. with the Namangan Oncological Dispensary, the Republican Center of Endocrinology, the Samarkand State University and the Tashkent City Center of Oncology and Radiology.

UNIDO considers Uzbekistan as a key state in the region with huge resource, economic and human potential. In this regard, Li Yong noted with satisfaction the creation of a solid industrial infrastructure in the republic, conditions for ensuring universal and sustainable industrialization.

The Director General expressed his readiness to assist in attracting the potential of UNIDO to restore certain industrial sectors of the republic’s economy affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The prospects for interaction on the implementation of specific projects in the field of "clean innovation" and "green" technologies in industry, which will create conditions for the development of sustainable industrial design and branding tools, are considered.

In addition, the progress of the preparation of the draft Joint Declaration on strengthening further cooperation between Uzbekistan and UNIDO and the "Road Map" for the further development of cooperation for 2020-2024, which will bring the interaction of the parties to a qualitatively new level, were discussed.