Shavkat Mirziyoyev meets U.S. Trade Representative, discusses accelerating Uzbekistan’s accession to WTO

The meeting highlighted the steady growth of the Uzbekistan-USA strategic partnership, particularly in the areas of trade, economics, and investment. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the recent progress in bilateral trade, noting that turnover exceeded $1 billion last year.

The sides discussed accelerating Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). President Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of practical cooperation and continued support from the United States in finalizing this process.

To enhance regional stability and digital commerce, the president proposed revitalizing cooperation within the framework of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Central Asian countries and the USA. This initiative aims to develop regional approaches to technical regulation, digital trade, and sustainable product delivery.

Concluding the meeting, the president invited U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to attend the Tashkent International Investment Forum, scheduled for June this year.

Expanding the investment portfolio

The visit’s business program culminated in a ceremony attended by representatives of the U.S. government, financial institutions, and leading corporations. Participants included Paolo Zampolli, Special Representative of the U.S. President; John Jovanovic, President and Chairman of Exim Bank; and Carolyn Lamm, Chairwoman of the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce.

Executives from global industry leaders, such as Traxys, Valmont Industries, Gulf Oil, Avigen Broiler Breeding Group, John Deere, BlackRock Financial Markets Advisory, and Oppenheimer, were also present. In a new practical format, heads of various Uzbek regions participated in the presentations via video link.

“Today, the priority is for partners to be reliable, for rules to be clear, and for cooperation to be long-term. This is the logic upon which we are building our partnership with the United States,” President Mirziyoyev stated during his address.

The president identified several strategic pillars for future engagement, including:

• Critical raw materials and minerals: Joint extraction and supply chains.
• Energy and petrochemicals: Building a network of modern refueling stations.
• Agriculture and food security: Implementation of sprinkler irrigation technologies and the establishment of poultry clusters.
• Finance: Development of the financial market and advisory services to improve the investment climate.

President Mirziyoyev noted the increasing role of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Exim Bank as consistent partners in facilitating these deals. Furthermore, to strengthen interregional ties, the president instructed the heads of Uzbek regions to organize reciprocal visits to partner states in the U.S.

The event concluded with the official signing of bilateral documents covering the construction of infrastructure, agro-industrial development, and the extraction of critical minerals, marking a new chapter in the economic alliance between the two nations.