On October 2, a roundtable discussion on “Uzbekistan – France: history and contemporary relationship was held at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

On October 2, a roundtable discussion on “Uzbekistan – France: history and contemporary relationship was held at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

The event was attended by deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, representatives of a number of ministries and agencies, the diplomatic corps, specialists from friendship societies, employees of information and analytical centers, and experts.

At the event, organized on the eve of the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to France, the historical relations of the two countries, the current state of cultural-humanitarian, trade-economic cooperation, prospects for development of investment partnership, strengthening relations in transport-communications, tourism and other fields were discussed.

The political dialogue between Uzbekistan and France is developing rapidly. Special attention is paid to inter-parliamentary relations, cooperation in science and technology.

As Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Uzbekistan Violen Biyet de Vilmore noted, there are many unused opportunities in relations between the two countries. The visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to France will give a new impetus to development of cooperation between ministries and agencies, business circles of the two states.

France is one of the important European partners of Uzbekistan. In 2017, the trade turnover between the two countries exceeded 251 million USD. Cooperation in oil and gas, pharmaceutical, agricultural and food industries is consistently developing. There are 16 joint ventures in Uzbekistan that are established with participation of French capital.

– In the annals it is noted that relations between our countries were formed over the centuries, diplomatic correspondence was maintained, – says the Head of Uzbekistan – France friendship group between the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the National Assembly of the French Republic Akmal Saidov. – This served as a good basis for cooperation in economic, political, socio-cultural, scientific spheres. Uzbekistan people are highly interested in French language and culture of France. There are specialized schools for learning French. I am convinced that the visit of the President to France will become the beginning of a qualitatively new stage in cooperation of our countries in all spheres.

At the event, views were exchanged on the issues of improving the business environment in Uzbekistan, liberalizing the economy, increasing investment attractiveness, further expanding cooperation with French business community, organizing consultations on foreign policy issues on a regular basis.