According to the Uzbek Embassy in Washington, on April 16-17, 2019, a delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Deputy PM Elyor Ganiyev visited the United States on a working visit.
A fruitful meeting was held with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of Wilbur Ross to Uzbekistan in October 2018 and the Uzbek-American business forum was reviewed.
As noted during the meeting, the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018 brought the relations between the countries to a new level. Progress is observed in all areas of the bilateral agenda. Cooperation in the trade and investment sphere has achieved special development. The volume of the Uzbek-American trade turnover over the past year has almost doubled, the number of joint ventures is increasing.
During the meeting, preparation for a number of important joint events, in particular, a major business forum in Navoi on May 16-17, the first “certified trade mission” of the US Department of Commerce to Uzbekistan on June 18-20 and the annual Uzbek-American business forum in Washington on October 21-22 has aslo been discussed.
A representative of the US administration welcomed the desire of the republic to become a member of the WTO. The timeliness and practical significance of sending an expert from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Uzbekistan as an advisor to the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade on issues of joining the said organization were noted.
As noted during the negotiations, adoption of laws on ratification by the Republic of the Geneva Convention on phonograms of 1971 and treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization in the field of the Internet, together with achievements in the field of eliminating child and forced labor, creates necessary prerequisites for maintaining the status of the beneficiary country of the General Preference System, involving the possibility of duty-free trade with the United States.
During the meeting with the Acting Deputy Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cindy Lodge, an exchange of views was held on practical measures to increase fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan. Following the results, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and Mineral Resources and the USGS. The document provides for establishment of cooperation in the field of geology, as well as the organization of joint trainings and educational programs for Uzbek specialists.
In general, according to the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, the visit of the Uzbek delegation to the United States allowed us to hold a series of fruitful meetings in specific areas of bilateral cooperation, identify areas that require increased interaction, and agree on measures to further expand and deepen trade-investment relations.
