Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - An Uzbek-American business forum will be held in Washington on 21-22 October 2019, as well as the next meeting of the member countries of the Council of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Dunyo reported.

The business forum, organized by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in conjunction with the American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce (AUCC), is expected to be attended by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbor Ross, representatives of more than 150 major US and Canadian Fortune 500 companies, as well as international organizations and financial institutions.

On 14 October, a briefing was held at the Embassy with the participation of the Chairman of the AUCC Caroline Lamm, representatives of Boeing, Coca-Cola, CNH Industrial, John Deer, Caterpillar Inc., VISA Inc., ExxonMobil and others, as well as senior officials from the US Department of Commerce, Department of State, Asian Development Bank, American Council on International Education, Congressional Research Services.

As noted, the panel provides for three panel discussions:

The first panel session on “Trade, Economic and Investment Cooperation in Central Asia” will be held with the participation of ministers responsible for foreign economic relations of all countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Representatives of the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank and other structures are expected to participate in the second panel session on the topic “Public-Private Partnership and Privatization of State-Owned Enterprises”.

At the third panel session, “Securing Investment Attractiveness: A Government Policy for the Development of Business and Financial Instruments”, the leadership of Eximbank, the US Agency for International Development, CNH Industrial, Caterpillar, and the US Corporation for International Development will take part on the American side.

On the sidelines of the business forum, the Uzbek delegation will hold bilateral meetings in the G2B and B2B format with American and Canadian companies, following which it is expected to reach specific agreements on the creation of footwear production in Kashkadarya region, the export of textile products, the implementation of the project in the field of oil and gas production, the introduction VISA technologies in electronic payment systems of the republic, as well as the delivery by the Project Cure organization of humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment for health facilities Nii Aral.

At the same time, it is planned to hold an official opening ceremony of two Uzbek trading houses Samarkand Gilamlari and Gulnor for the sale of Uzbek carpets and textile products from silk in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania).

Along with this, during the indicated period, a regular meeting of the member countries of the Council of the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment (TIFA) will be held with the participation of the heads of the ministries of Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, responsible for foreign economic relations.

Its program includes meetings of working groups on customs, standards, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property and strengthening the role of women in business. The creation of a new working group on the development of electronic commerce in Central Asia and Afghanistan will also be discussed. During the meeting of the TIFA Council, the American side will make presentations on “Standardization”, “General System of Preferences” and “Agreement on Trade Facilitation”, taking into account their importance for the region.

The main topic of discussion of the Council, as planned, will be the consideration of granting Afghanistan the status of a full member of TIFA.