Minister of Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov met with the delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the occasion of introducing the new EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia Bruno Balvanera.
“I express gratitude to the government of Uzbekistan for the current dynamics of our relations, joint work, assistance and support in the implementation of initiatives. The most important thing is mutual efforts. Thank you for the effective cooperation that is attested by the impressive portfolio of projects”, Natalya Khanjenkova, the EBRD’s Managing Director for Central Asia since April 2015, noted.
With regard to her transition to a new post, Bruno Balvanera replaces Khanjenkova on this position. A Mexican citizen has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry and has been working at the EBRD since 1996. Starting from 2006 to 2013, he headed the St. Petersburg office of the bank and supervised projects throughout Russia. In 2013, he became director of the EBRD for Belarus, countries of the Caucasus and Moldova.
At the meeting, Bruno Balvanera noted his high interest in working with the government of Uzbekistan and desire to provide full support for joint initiatives. During the talks, the sides discussed the condition and prospects of projects in the following areas:
- increasing the participation of private sector in the economy, including strengthening of small business support;
- promotion of decisions on energy-efficiency and green economy, including legislative support for the use of renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies;
- strengthening the managerial and financial potential of the city administration;
- further development of the PPP and corporate governance.
The Uzbek side expressed gratitude to the EBRD delegation for the constructive dialogue, and also voiced an aspiration of the government to further strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships aimed at long-term cooperation.
