Uzbekistan and Slovenia: partnership for sustainable development

On February 9 this year, the Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov held talks with the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Tanya Fayon, the press service of the MIIT reported. During the meeting, the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, investment, transport and logistics, and industrial cooperation were discussed.

The Slovenian side noted the effectiveness of the large-scale reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan and the strategic importance of intensifying bilateral partnership. In this context, the importance of the Agreement on economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Slovenia signed the day before, which will become the basis for further development of cooperation between the two countries, was emphasized.

The positive dynamics of the growth of mutual trade turnover, which increased by 40% in 2022, was emphasized, including due to the active use by Uzbekistan of the status of a beneficiary of the EU GSP+ system of preferences. The parties agreed to expand the partnership in this direction by taking measures to prolong the status and provide the necessary support to Uzbek exporters for its effective use.

The prospects for the development of investment cooperation and industrial cooperation were discussed by holding joint business forums and exhibitions “Made in Uzbekistan and Slovenia” on a regular basis. In this context, the most promising areas for the implementation of joint projects are the energy sector, agriculture, textile and pharmaceutical industries, infrastructure construction and IT.

Opportunities for developing cooperation in the field of transport and logistics were considered. In particular, the head of the Slovenian delegation proposed to establish charter and regular flights between the capitals of the two states. The parties agreed to hold online consultations between the aviation authorities to discuss further practical steps in this direction.

Following the talks, the parties expressed their firm commitment to accelerating the practical implementation of the agreements reached, as well as promoting the initiative to establish the Uzbek-Slovenian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.