Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In development of the agreements reached during the meeting between the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodzhaev, on 16 August 2023, a meeting was held between representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and representatives of the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Dmitry Volvach, Murat Kerefov, Tatyana Ilyushnikova, Deputy Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Khurram Teshabaev and representatives of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Russia.

The parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, including the organization of the Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan. The Russian side presented the best practices for providing measures to support investment projects (based on the invest.economy.gov.ru platform), small and medium-sized businesses in Russia, and informed about the Project Finance Factory project.

The meeting participants also discussed the progress of the important food project Agroexpress, on the launch and development of which Russia and Uzbekistan signed a road map in June. According to the document, the parties agreed to increase mutual deliveries of products using accelerated rail transport for 2023-2024. The parties agreed to continue preparing an optimal model for the implementation of the project, taking into account the need to optimize the cost of rail transportation.

“Today, we are working on the possibility of organizing deliveries not only in the direction of Tashkent-Moscow, but also from other regions of Uzbekistan and Russia. In October, it is planned to open an agro-logistic complex in Jizzakh with a capacity of up to 810 thousand tons of products per year. It is located in the zone of consolidation of agricultural products, - said Dmitry Volvach. – In addition to Agroekspers, about 60 more projects are being worked out in the Russian-Uzbek portfolio through interregional cooperation”

During the meeting, Murat Kerefov shared the best Russian experience in supporting investment projects, including the practice of introducing a regional investment standard, concessional lending within the Project Finance Factory, a taxonomy of technological sovereignty projects, tax and tariff incentives, and territorial preferences.

Of particular interest to the Uzbek partners was the mechanism of agreements on the protection and promotion of investments.

“SZPK is our flagship measure. The agreement protects the interests of investors by creating predictable conditions for the implementation of large projects. On the one hand, the stabilization clause does not allow the application of acts that worsen the conditions for the implementation of the investment project. On the other hand, the investor can reimburse the costs of the infrastructure created for the project. Within the framework of 57 agreements, we have attracted more than 2.6 trillion rubles into the economy,” Murat Kerefov shared his experience.

Tatyana Ilyushnikova informed about the system of measures to support small and medium-sized businesses in Russia, the established infrastructure and successful practices.

Support is provided both online and offline. There are more than 400 My Business Centers in our country, and a digital SME platform has also been launched. Entrepreneurs can receive concessional financing services, find new markets, get advice and learn new skills and competencies. We have taken a number of steps to develop cooperation between the SMEs of Russia and Uzbekistan. Within the framework of the “Presidential Program”, internships are held in the Republic of Uzbekistan. So, after last year's internship, an agreement was signed on the supply of cotton fabrics to the Orenburg region, and the Penza entrepreneur, together with partners from Uzbekistan, optimized the production of sportswear. Other joint projects are also developing. Also this week, SME Bank launched settlements in Uzbek soums. We are open to the development of further cooperation,” said Tatyana Ilyushnikova.