Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov took part in the Uzbek-Turkish business forum, which was held in the building of the Union of Turkish Chambers and Exchanges in Ankara (Türkiye).

The high-level meeting was attended by 500 people, including representatives of companies from both countries, investors, foreign experts and specialists.

For reference, it should be noted that in 2017-2023, the number of business entities in Uzbekistan trading with Türkiye doubled and amounted to almost 5,200. These companies operate in industries such as energy, construction, textiles, tourism, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and agriculture and production of building materials.

In 2023, an agreement on preferential trade was signed between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Türkiye. If at the end of last year the volume of mutual trade in 12 goods established under the agreement increased by 30%, then in January-April of this year the volume of trade in these goods increased by another 12%.

The agenda of the event included negotiations and presentations with potential leaders of Turkish companies aimed at developing public-private partnerships, privatization, mining and geology, interterritorial cooperation between the two countries and reforms in these areas, as well as new projects. in the industrial sector.

Following the session on public-private partnerships, memorandums of understanding were signed with ten potential Turkish enterprises to assist in the preparation and implementation of initiatives in these areas (based on the Swiss Challenge). Representatives of the ministry also made a presentation aimed at attracting Turkish entrepreneurs to tenders that will be announced in 2024-2025.

The event program included discussions on cooperation with Turkish enterprises in the fields of agriculture, energy, healthcare, textiles, geology, electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals and construction.

Separately, the issues of forming new joint agricultural projects in Samarkand, Tashkent, Khorezm and Bukhara regions of Uzbekistan, presenting the tourism potential of these regions, and attracting Turkish entrepreneurs to new tourism infrastructure projects were considered.

At the end of the forum, participants were presented with an exhibition of textile, jewelry, construction, leather and other products of Uzbekistan. Within the framework of the business forum, meetings were also held in the B2B format, which made it possible to discuss in detail specific issues of close and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Within the framework of the forum, a number of agreements were reached aimed at further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the Uzbek-Turkish economic and business circles. In particular, a number of agreements and memorandums were signed on the creation of industrial clusters, energy support, construction of power plants, textile and leather and footwear production, construction of roads, schools and preschool educational institutions on the basis of public-private partnerships.

This event was an important step towards the development of Turkish-Uzbek trade and economic relations, opening up new potential for joint projects and investments in various economic fields.