The Diplomat
First Tashkent International Investment Forum brought together more than 2,000 participants, including major investors and high-level guests from 56 countries, according to information provided by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Spain.
A number of determined contracts and investment agreements worth US$7.8 billion were signed during the Forum. Preliminary agreements worth 3.5 billion dollars were also reached for the implementation of projects.
The Forum, which developed an extensive business program, “fostered a dialogue based on trust, a constructive exchange of views and the establishment of new contacts and partnerships,” the note states. It adds that “the government has set the direction to create the most comfortable and attractive conditions for investors and deepen mutually beneficial partnerships with foreign partners and international organizations”.
During the event, participants discussed investment and trade opportunities in various sectors and regions of the country; the results achieved in Uzbekistan’s social and economic reforms; priority areas for its future development; prospects for the development of regional and global trade relations; mechanisms for attracting investment, liberalizing trade and improving the competitiveness of the Uzbek economy; and new steps towards industrialization and the orientation of the country’s industry. Also discussed were measures to transform the national energy sector and switch to alternative energy sources, strengthen the transport interconnection of the countries of the region and improve their transit potential.
In addition, mechanisms for restoring and stimulating the development of economic activity in the post-Soviet period, poverty reduction, regulation of monetary policy, support for business, development of the banking sector and the financial market were discussed.
According to information provided by the Uzbek Embassy, “the Tashkent Forum has established itself as a large-scale communication platform for strengthening and developing inter-regional and international ties, and has also become a powerful catalyst for investment and foreign economic cooperation between countries and regions.” Therefore, he assures, “the Forum is expected to become a permanent platform for attracting foreign investments and modern technologies to the economy of both Uzbekistan and the entire Central Asian region, as well as identifying areas of mutual interest for establishing direct links between the region’s entrepreneurs and foreign business circles.”
