Uzbekistan – Czech Business Forum
As part of the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš to Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan – Czech Business Forum was held in Tashkent.
The event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš.
The forum brought together representatives from leading industrial enterprises, investment companies, and financial institutions in the two countries.
The Czech delegation included heads of more than 50 major companies operating in the mechanical engineering, energy, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, as well as in the transport and logistics sectors.
It was noted that over the past eight years, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic has doubled.
Currently, 36 joint ventures with Czech capital are operating in the country. Among the successful areas of cooperation are pharmaceuticals, the food industry, building materials production, and tourism.
During the negotiations, promising areas of economic partnership were discussed.
Czech companies were invited to participate in projects on the extraction and deep processing of copper and other non-ferrous metals, as well as in the localization of mining equipment production.
Issues related to expanding cooperation in the construction of hydropower plants, the introduction of cogeneration units, the digitalization of the sector, and the improvement of energy efficiency were also considered.
Opportunities to create joint digital products for third-country markets by leveraging Uzbekistan’s IT park potential and more than 100,000 industry specialists were discussed.
An exchange of views took place on the organization of production for mineral fertilizers, polymers, and household chemicals within Uzbekistan’s chemical clusters, as well as on the implementation of joint projects in the pharmaceutical industry.
The strategic importance of the two countries’ geographical locations was emphasized. In particular, for Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic serves as an important gateway to European markets, while for the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan is a gateway to Central Asia. In this regard, a proposal was put forward to establish trade houses and logistics centers on a parity basis.
The Uzbek side outlined the opportunities available to Czech investors in special industrial parks, as well as the incentives offered to European companies.
The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš, in turn, expressed readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation and presented specific investment proposals.
Following the forum, a signing ceremony was held for a package of important documents and agreements aimed at expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation between the two countries.
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Ikrom Avvalboyev, photos by Sarvar Urmonov, UzA
