02.11.2023

A joint business forum was held in the city of Samarkand as part of the official visit of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron to the Republic of Uzbekistan. The forum was attended by the leaders of the two countries.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev had previously met with leaders of the French business community during his official visit to France in November 2022, which resulted in concrete agreements to expand trade, economic and investment partnerships. The current forum served as a continuation of an open and constructive dialogue.

The French delegation was represented by Olivier Béchet, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad; Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital Sovereignty; Claude Imauven, CEO of the MEDEF International business federation; and Rémy Rioux, CEO of the French Development Agency.

The event was also attended by the heads of major companies and banks such as EDF, Voltalia, Total Energies, Orano, Eiffage, Veolia, SUEZ, Lactalis, Semai, Semmaris, Alstom, Airbus Helicopters, ATR, Vicat, Mobilitas, Boehringer Ingelheim, Thales, Aramine, Meridiame, Societe Generale, Natixis and others.

Opening the meeting in ancient Samarkand, the Uzbek leader warmly welcomed President Emmanuel Macron and representatives of the French business elite.

It was noted with satisfaction that active contacts at the highest level have resulted in a positive dynamic in trade, economic and investment cooperation.

Bilateral trade has tripled since the beginning of the year and the number of joint ventures has quadrupled in recent years.

It was emphasized that further strengthening of direct trade links and industrial cooperation is fully in the long-term interests of both countries.

"Today, my esteemed colleague and I had very fruitful negotiations. I would like to emphasize that a new era of our cooperation is beginning. In the future, we intend to raise our relations to the level of strategic partnership," said the President of Uzbekistan.

In his speech, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the leaders of the two countries had agreed to provide full support for a significant increase in the volume of bilateral trade and the intensification of investment activities of French companies.

This will be facilitated by the introduction of new mechanisms for financing joint projects, the creation of more favorable business conditions and full support for the implementation of business initiatives.

Significant progress has already been made in cooperation in the fields of energy, mining, water supply, transport, agriculture, banking, finance and others.

A willingness was expressed to create new effective platforms to expand productive and open dialogue with the French business community.

In this context, the Uzbek leader welcomed the agreements reached at the Forum on the establishment of a joint Uzbek-French Chamber of Commerce. Plans to open an office of the Business France agency in Tashkent were also supported.

Interest was expressed in continued support for Uzbekistan’s reform programs from the government, as well as from leading companies and financial institutions in France.

"I can say with confidence that our reforms have become irreversible. Our priority goal is to build a democratic state with strong civil society institutions, modern infrastructure and powerful industry," said the Head of State.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev identified four priority areas and proposed a number of initiatives to develop the Uzbek-French partnership.

There was a willingness to develop strategic cooperation in the important field of green energy, where major projects have already been launched with companies such as EDF, Voltalia, and Total Energies.

Another important area of cooperation is the deep processing of strategic raw materials and the production of industrial goods based on advanced technologies. It was noted that there are already plans to develop partnerships in this direction with Orano.

The efficient use of water resources and the creation of modern infrastructure were identified as important priorities. It was stated that significant work is being carried out with companies such as SUEZ, Eiffage, and Veolia to modernize the country's water supply and heating systems.

Another important area receiving considerable attention is improving the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and ensuring food security.

In this regard, support was expressed for active cooperation with the French side in the construction of modern agro-logistics complexes in the regions of our country.

The President of Uzbekistan underlined the importance of the Business Forum as a platform for intensive and constructive dialogue between businessmen from both countries and for identifying new points of growth.

"Addressing our French partners, I would like to emphasize that our doors are always open for work in the New Uzbekistan and we are ready to implement any promising joint projects," the President concluded.

The President of France Emmanuel Macron also addressed the participants of the business forum. He expressed his full support for President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's reform course and noted the significant opportunities for bilateral investment cooperation that have opened up. He called for more active exploitation of the substantial potential for a mutually beneficial partnership and expressed his confidence that both economies and peoples of the two countries would benefit.

Following the Business Forum, a substantial package of documents was signed on agreements in the fields of energy, metallurgy, water supply, agriculture, transport and other key sectors.