The Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, commended the strong relations between his country and the State of Qatar, highlighting their keenness to strengthen these ties across various fields.
In his speech at a meeting with representatives of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA), attended by QBA Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, HE Laziz Kudratov emphasized the importance of strengthening Qatari-Uzbek business forums.
The Uzbek minister called for increased efforts to showcase investment opportunities, facilitate the exchange of investments, and address other key issues that would enhance trade cooperation between the two countries.
Kudratov reviewed the investment climate in Uzbekistan and the positive developments that the Uzbek economy has witnessed in recent years, pointing out that many major companies from various countries of the world have begun to come to Uzbekistan and invest in various sectors, with direct investments reaching about $22.4 billion in 2023.
The Minister also reviewed his country’s vision for the year 2030, which aims to attract about $250 billion in foreign direct investments, as the economy is witnessing significant growth rates of 7 percent, stressing the need to exploit the proportion of youth and the workforce trained in various fields.
In turn, the QBA Chairman stressed that the high-level visits represented an important step towards establishing a new phase of joint economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Al-Thani pointed to the increase in the pace of joint coordination between Doha and Tashkent to encourage the private sector between the two sides to launch investment projects, which contributes to increasing the volume of trade exchange and supports bilateral relations in common areas.
Al-Thani further said that QBA encourages Qatari businesspersons to explore the investment climate in Uzbekistan and invest in potential opportunities, especially in the sectors of agriculture, mining, energy, and others. He also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between Qatari and Uzbek companies and establishing trade and investment alliances that contribute to enhancing trade exchange between the two countries, which is still modest and below the level of ambitions.
