Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 8 February, in the format of a video conference, negotiations were held between the First Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov with the State Secretary for Trade of the Kingdom of Spain, Shiana Mendes.

The parties noted the formed prospects for enhancing bilateral cooperation against the background of the growing interest of the government and business circles of Spain in Uzbekistan. “After the pandemic that befell the global economy last year, we believe that the time has come to decisively stimulate trade and economic ties,” said S. Mendes.

It was announced that the Spanish government is ready to make a significant contribution to the implementation of industrial and infrastructure projects in Uzbekistan with the participation of Spanish companies through the allocation of long-term concessional loans through the Fund for Internationalization of Enterprises (FIEM) under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain, including for the supply of high-speed electric trains of the Spanish company "Talgo", as well as supplies of test equipment from Spanish manufacturers to ensure reliable and uninterrupted operation of the locomotive and wagon fleet of Uzbekiston Temir Yullari.

During the meeting, issues of holding the 1st founding meeting of the Intergovernmental Uzbek-Spanish Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation in Tashkent in the second half of 2021 were also discussed.

As a result of the negotiations, an agreement was reached on cooperation in organizing and holding a number of events in Uzbekistan with the participation of representatives of the Spanish business community in the B2B format in order to discuss the prospects for cooperation within the framework of specific projects in such areas as agriculture, textile, leather and footwear industry, construction materials industry, pharmaceuticals, energy and tourism.