Minister Amado, who held separate meetings with Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoev and with the oil and gas-producing country’s foreign and trade ministers, accepted a proposal for an Uzbek trade and investment delegation to visit Lisbon at a date to be announced.

A top Portuguese business delegation will then visit Uzbekistan, rich in energy resources, minerals, and with skilled workers. The Central Asian country, with average GDP growth in recent years of eight%, is also one of the world’s biggest cotton producers.

But Uzbek exports plummeted by 34% last year on the heels of the global economic downturn and foreign investment is “an essential element” for the country’s continued prosperity, Trade Minister Elyor Ganiev said at a joint press conference with Portugal’s No. 1 diplomat.

Areas rife for joint ventures with Portugal, noted the minister, are the automobile sector, petrochemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, tourism and energy. The Uzbek government is ready to “cooperate with Portugal as deeply as Portugal wishes.”

Amado, in reply, said his country wants to increase its awareness of Central Asia due to the region’s “great potential in resources and skilled labour.”

For a number of years Portugal has sought to diversify its exports, some 80% of which still go to Europe, he added, welcoming with enthusiasm Uzbek invitations for Portuguese executives to visit the country.

Minister Amado underscored too the importance of the central Asian region to European energy and security concerns and NATO’s efforts to stabilize neighbouring Afghanistan, where Portugal has troops deployed with Alliance forces.

He left Uzbekistan for Tajikistan and talks with President Emomalii Rahmon and other officials.

The four-nation trip, which also took him to Egypt, was also aimed at mobilising support for Lisbon’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council during 2011-2012.