The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has already met with leading representatives of the French business community during his official visit to this country in November 2022, following which specific agreements were reached on enhancing trade, economic, and investment partnerships. The current forum is a continuation of an open and constructive dialogue.
The French side was represented by the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht, the Minister Delegate for Industry, attached to the Minister for Economic Affairs, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure, the Director General of the MEDEF International Claude Imauven, CEO of the French Development Agency Rémy Rioux.
In addition, the event was attended by the heads of large companies and banks – EDF, Voltalia, Total Energies, Orano, Eiffage, Veolia, SUEZ, Lactalis, Semai, Semmaris, Alstom, Airbus Helicopters, ATR, Vicat, Mobilitas, Boehringer Ingelheim, Thales, Aramine, Meridiame, Societe Generale, Natixis and others.
Opening the meeting in ancient Samarkand, the President of Uzbekistan warmly greeted President Emmanuel Macron and representatives of the French business elite.
It was noted with satisfaction that thanks to active contacts at the highest level, there is a positive dynamic in the development of trade, economic, and investment interaction.
Since the beginning of the year, the volume of mutual trade has tripled, and the number of joint ventures has quadrupled in recent years.
It was emphasized that further strengthening of direct trade ties and industrial cooperation fully meets the long-term interests of both countries.
“Today, my respected colleague and I held very fruitful talks. I would like to emphasize that a new era of our cooperation is beginning. In the future, we intend to raise our relations to the level of strategic partnership”, the President of Uzbekistan said.
In his speech, the Head of state noted that the two countries’ leaders agreed to provide full support to significantly expand the volume of mutual trade and intensify the investment activities of French companies.
This will be facilitated by introducing new mechanisms for financing joint projects, creating more favorable conditions for business and all possible assistance in implementing business initiatives.
Cooperation has already achieved significant progress in the energy, mining, water supply, transport, agriculture, banking and financial sectors.
Readiness was expressed to create new effective platforms to expand productive and open dialogue with the business community of France.
In this context, the Leader of Uzbekistan welcomed the agreements as part of the forum on creating a joint Uzbekistan – France Chamber of Commerce. In addition, plans to open an office of the Business France Agency in Tashkent received support.
Interest was expressed in supporting the reform program in Uzbekistan from the government, leading companies, and financial institutions in France.
“I can say for sure that our reforms have become irreversible. Our priority goal is to build a democratic state with strong civil society institutions, modern infrastructure, and powerful industry”, the Head of state noted.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev identified four priority areas and proposed several initiatives to enhance the partnership between Uzbekistan and France.
Readiness was expressed in developing strategic cooperation in green energy, where the implementation of large projects has already begun with EDF, Voltalia, and Total Energies.
Another important area of cooperation is the deep processing of strategic raw materials and the production of industrial products based on advanced technologies. It was noted that there are plans to enhance the partnership with Orano in this direction.
The efficient use of water resources and the creation of modern infrastructure are identified as an essential priority. It was indicated that a lot of work is being carried out with SUEZ, Eiffage, and Veolia to modernize the country’s water supply systems and heating networks.
Another vital area that receives excellent attention is increasing competitiveness in agriculture and ensuring food security.
In this regard, support was expressed for active interaction with the French side on the construction of modern agrological complexes in the regions of Uzbekistan.
The President of Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of the Business Forum as a platform for intensive and constructive dialogue between the two countries’ businesspeople and identifying new growth points.
“Addressing our French partners, I would like to emphasize that our doors to work in New Uzbekistan are always open, and we are ready to implement any promising joint projects”, the President of Uzbekistan concluded.
The President of France Emmanuel Macron also addressed the Business Forum participants with a welcoming speech. He expressed full support for the reforms pursued by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and noted the great opportunities for bilateral investment cooperation. He called for more active use of the solid potential of mutually beneficial partnership, expressing confidence that the economies and people of both countries will benefit from this.
Following the business forum, a substantial package of documents was signed on agreements in energy, metallurgy, water supply, agriculture, transport, and other vital areas.
