The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as part of the events of the second day of his official visit to Italy, met with the Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana in Milan.

Lombardy, located in northern Italy, is one of the most populated and most significant regions of the country, one of the most economically developed regions of Italy. It forms 22 percent of the country’s total GDP and, according to this indicator, ranks fifth in the European Union.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan congratulated Attilio Fontana on his re-election to the post of governor and wished him success in his work in this post.

The fruitful talks held the day before with the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were noted with satisfaction, during which support was expressed for developing interregional contacts.

At the meeting, practical aspects of mutually beneficial cooperation, primarily in the trade and investment sphere, were discussed.

Last year, the trade turnover between the regions of Uzbekistan and Lombardy increased by 83 percent. In April, flights between Milan and Tashkent were resumed.

Strong partnerships have been established with leading regional companies, such as Pietro Fiorentini, Terranova, Danieli, Fin. Opera and others.

The President of Uzbekistan stressed the importance of increasing the portfolio of joint trade and investment projects, more widely attracting advanced Italian technologies and knowledge to various sectors of the economy of Uzbekistan.

The need for the soonest preparation of a full-scale Cooperation Program with Lombardy, holding a joint investment forum in Samarkand, was noted.

Special attention was paid to the issues of deepening industrial cooperation, creating favorable conditions for promoting business initiatives, implementing public-private partnership projects in medicine, developing innovations, and expanding cultural and humanitarian ties, including holding mutual Culture Days.

The Governor expressed sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan for the comprehensive support provided to the projects and initiatives of the business community of Lombardy in Uzbekistan. He confirmed his readiness to promote in every possible way a full-scale and mutually beneficial business partnership with the regions of Uzbekistan.

Following the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan wished Attilio Fontana success in preparing for the upcoming Winter Olympics in 2026, which will be held in Lombardy.

UzA