Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 22 February, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Republic of Uzbekistan Zehavit Ben Hillel, during which a constructive exchange took place views on the current state and prospects for the development of trade and economic, investment, scientific and technical cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the head of the Israeli diplomatic mission announced that the Israeli government is aimed at the comprehensive development of cooperation with Uzbekistan with an emphasis on strengthening economic ties. In this regard, the importance of establishing close contact between the relevant ministries of the two countries was emphasized in order to form a basis for further cooperation and stimulate business partnership between representatives of Uzbek and Israeli business.

The parties emphasized their mutual readiness to intensify joint work to develop joint measures to increase the number of joint investment projects, as well as to increase the volume and diversify the range of mutual trade. In this vein, promising mechanisms for attracting Israeli investments and advanced technologies in priority industries and the social sphere were considered.

Ms. Hillel informed the Uzbek side of the serious interest of Israeli business representatives in establishing investment cooperation in the field of agriculture, water conservation, information and communication sector, healthcare.

The prospects for establishing cooperation in the fields of ecology, veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, forestry and horticulture were also highly appreciated, in connection with which a preliminary agreement was reached on signing in the near future a cooperation agreement with the MASHAV International Cooperation Agency under the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on his support for a number of training seminars and training courses aimed at improving the qualifications of Uzbek civil servants in these areas.

They also discussed the course of preparation for the 1st meeting of the Uzbek-Israeli Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Investment and Scientific and Technical Cooperation (IGC) in 2021 in Tel Aviv. The parties agreed to organize a large-scale business forum within the framework of the IGC with the participation of representatives of the business circles of the two countries and exchange proposals on the timing and agenda of the planned events in the near future.

As a result of the meeting, an agreement was reached on establishing close cooperation between the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the Embassy of the State of Israel in the Republic of Uzbekistan in order to saturate the economic agenda of bilateral cooperation with specific investment projects and mutually beneficial trade agreements.