Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  A delegation led by former Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis visited the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan.

Initially, the delegation was briefed on the projects and work being carried out by the Unified Integrator UZINFOCOM.

Following this, a meeting took place between the Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, former President Vējonis, and the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Latvia to Uzbekistan, Reinis Troksha.

The main topic of the meeting was the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Latvia in the fields of digital technologies, IT, and artificial intelligence.

Minister Sherzod Shermatov highlighted Uzbekistan’s achievements in digital technologies, the favorable conditions created for IT companies, and the governmental measures taken to develop this sector. He specifically mentioned tax incentives for IT firms, the creation of a business-friendly environment, and presidential initiatives aimed at attracting foreign companies.

Shermatov emphasized that Uzbekistan’s IT sector is competitive not only in the domestic market but also internationally. He also noted that active work is underway in the country to develop artificial intelligence technologies and digital infrastructure. He stressed that close cooperation with Latvia in this area is of great importance for Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, Sherzod Shermatov placed special emphasis on the development of artificial intelligence (AI), detailing the work being conducted in Uzbekistan in this domain. He pointed out that the AI strategy should serve the benefit of people, discussing how artificial intelligence can be useful, particularly in medicine for treating diseases.

Additionally, collaboration between Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabian company DataVolt was mentioned, focusing on the creation of a US$5 billion "Green" data center, which will serve as a reliable energy source for companies operating in the field of artificial intelligence.

Raimonds Vējonis noted that Latvian IT companies are showing interest in the Uzbek market. Discussions also covered the expansion of cooperation between the two countries through the IT sector and increasing employment opportunities for youth in well-paid jobs.

Vējonis further emphasized that leading Latvian companies are ready to collaborate with Uzbekistan in the fields of artificial intelligence and voice technologies. The overall theme of the meeting was the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Latvia in the realms of digital technologies, IT, and artificial intelligence.