The Uzbek-British cooperation ties were discussed at a press conference in the capital Tashkent on January 31. It was organized by the embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in our country.
George Edgar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom in Uzbekistan, expounded on the evolution of relations between our two nations, the achievements made in the year 2013 across a diversity of areas in the bilateral interaction, as well as projects that were realized.
The cooperation between Uzbekistan and Great Britain has been advancing steadily across many spheres. Notably, regular have been the sessions of the Uzbek-British Council for Commerce and Industry, established in order to enhance the trade-economic interaction and boost the ties among businesspeople of our two countries. The trade turnover between the two nations has been growing consistently. More than 400 enterprises with British investments operate in Uzbekistan, along with representative offices of some 100 firms and companies from the UK.
“The trade and economic bonds between the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan have a tremendous potential,” Ambassador Edgar pointed out. “Loads of British entrepreneurs have for many years been successful in doing business in Uzbekistan. In 2013, the company Nationwide Technologies commissioned a factory to produce mineral fertilizers in Navoi region, and exports of finished goods is well underway. The mining corporation Rio Tinto runs geological prospecting in Namangan region. We are pretty delighted of the mounting presence of British companies in the growing Uzbek market. Uzbekistan’s important geographical location in the region, the availability of rich natural resources and a favorable investment climate here opens up extensive opportunities for a promising cooperation with investors from many countries, including the United Kingdom.”
The Memorandum on Understanding signed between the group of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis for cooperation with the British parliament and the British-Uzbekistan All-Party Parliamentary Group in the UK parliament serves as a foundation for the expansion of interaction in parliamentarianism, for bolstering bilateral political, economic and humanitarian relations.
It was noted that the Uzbek-British partnership has been steadily developing also in the education sphere. Thus, a number of projects were implemented in 2013. The British Council has been rather active in the efforts directed at boosting the teaching of English in Uzbekistan in accordance with the resolution of the President of our country on measures to further improve the system of learning foreign languages signed 10 December 2012.
The press conference participants also referred to the joint schemes run by our two countries in trade and economic, normative, cultural and humanitarian and other areas, their outcomes and effects as well as prospects of bilateral cooperation.
The journalists attending the event received due answers for questions they raised.
