Finnish leading timber concern expresses an interest in paper production in Uzbekistan

An exchange of views took place on the prospects for establishing and building up trade and investment-technological cooperation between Uzbekistan and UPM. Also, further ways of practical interaction were discussed, taking into account the steadily growing Uzbek-Finnish all-round partnership.

Kari Ståhlberg was provided with detailed information about the profound transformations taking place under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan, as well as large-scale transformation as a result of comprehensive reforms that have radically changed the business climate and allow increasing the volume of attracted investments associated with advanced technologies.

In turn, the Finnish businessman noted the prospects of the market of Uzbekistan and Central Asia with a total population of more than 60 million people. “With the need to reorient production capacities against the backdrop of upcoming changes in supply chains, UPM is actively reviewing options for geographic presence in various regions of the world,” Kari Ståhlberg said.

During the meeting, the format and schedule of upcoming contacts were also discussed with the involvement of government agencies from the Uzbek and Finnish sides to continue substantive negotiations on the prospects for cooperation with a focus on results.

For information, the Finnish timber industry concern UPM Kymmene, founded in 1996, ranks third in the world in terms of paper production. In 2021, its revenue exceeded $10 billion. It has 54 enterprises in 46 countries of the world, where more than 17,000 people are employed.