On May 17, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Samarkand.

The President of Uzbekistan addressed the plenary session of the meeting.

“We consider the fact that this year’s Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development takes place in the ancient and unique Samarkand as an expression of high trust and respect for our country and our reforms”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Uzbekistan hosted the meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in this format exactly 20 years ago. Over the past period, fundamental changes have taken place in Uzbekistan, economic liberalization has been carried out, and large-scale transformations have been initiated. They are being consistently implemented in all areas.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has become Uzbekistan’s strategic partner on the country’s sustainable development path. The Bank’s project portfolio in Uzbekistan has exceeded 4 billion euros, of which 3.3 billion euros worth of projects were launched in the last four years.

By the end of last year, Uzbekistan joined the ranks of the Bank’s top five significant partners. Regarding an annual volume of investments, Uzbekistan became the Bank’s most influential business partner in Central Asia.

The President of Uzbekistan outlined essential areas of interaction with international financial institutions, including the EBRD.

We are talking about supporting privatization and creating general conditions for the private sector, expanding public-private partnership projects in areas under the jurisdiction of the state, such as infrastructure, medicine, education, transport, ecology, accelerated development of the green economy, especially the green energy, further support for women's entrepreneurship, the introduction of advanced agricultural technologies, water conservation, and food security.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that new projects and programs will be implemented in these areas together with the Bank. He also invited the Bank to participate in regional cooperation projects with neighboring countries.

“Today’s International Forum is creating a historic opportunity to elevate the cooperation between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and our country to a new level”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev concluded.

As part of the meeting, an investment presentation of Uzbekistan was held, demonstrating great opportunities for doing business in the country. In addition, during the event sessions, more than 40 large PPP projects in healthcare, education, infrastructure, transport, and energy will be presented to the participants' attention.

The Samarkand Summit of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will run until May 18.

UzA