On March 27, a videoconference meeting was held with representatives of official circles and business communities of the United States with the aim of discussing the measures taken by the government of Uzbekistan to mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic and global crisis on the national economy, integration into the international economy, including the entry of the republic into the WTO.
The videoconference meeting was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, as well as the MIFT leaders, the MFA and the involved ministries and departments from the Uzbek side. At the same time, from the American side – representatives of the Department of Commerce, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the US Department of State, the American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and its member-companies “Valmont”, “Procter & Gamble”, “CNH Industrial”, “ExxonMobil”, “Coca-Cola”, “General Motors” took part in the event, the MFA press service said.
The Uzbek side emphasized that the government is taking urgent measures to reduce tariffs on imports of essential goods in the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Participants of the event were also informed that at present, international economic integration is a priority for Uzbekistan, the republic plans to increase the volume of foreign trade and aims to ensure long-term and sustainable development of the state.
“In this regard, issues of interaction with the American side were discussed within the framework of the fourth meeting of the Working Group on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO, giving the republic the status of a developing economy (with the aim of obtaining preferences in negotiations with WTO member countries), as well as removing Uzbekistan from the “Jackson-Vanik” amendment, which also contradicts WTO fundamental rules to ensure the “most favored nation treatment in trade”, the report said.
In turn, the Chairman of the American-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce (AUCC), Carolyn Lamm, noted the commitment of AUCC members, represented by leading U.S. companies, to further implement ongoing investment projects to support the republic’s industry, as well as to fully assist the Government of Uzbekistan and its people in combating coronavirus by providing advanced medical equipment, products and medicines.
