03.04.2025

The business program of the first “Central Asia-European Union” summit began on April 3 with a meeting between President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso.

Practical aspects of further development of full-scale cooperation of our country with this reputable international financial institution were thoroughly discussed.

The current highest level of relations of strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and the EBRD has been noted with deep satisfaction. The portfolio of joint projects in priority sectors is steadily growing. The Bank's aggregate investments in the economy of our country have exceeded 5 billion euros, including about 1 billion euros at the end of last year. The majority of financial support is provided to the private sector.

The medium-term Country Partnership Strategy is being effectively implemented. With the expert assistance of the EBRD, measures are being implemented to transform the banking sector and expand business opportunities.

During the meeting the results of joint work on improving the quality and efficiency of project implementation were noted. The importance of optimizing procedures and accelerating project preparation was pointed out.

The focus was on expanding cooperation in such key areas as the development of small and medium-sized businesses, support for women's and youth entrepreneurship, expansion of public-private partnership projects, including in education, water supply, and household waste processing.

Programs and projects in the field of green economy, decarbonization, digitalization and artificial intelligence, mortgage market development, transport communications and others were identified as priorities for cooperation.

Exchange of views was also held on the preparation and holding of the Tashkent International Investment Forum and the next meeting of the Foreign Investors Council in June this year.