He said during a meeting he recently had with Uzbekistan’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations,Investment and Trade, Nasriddin Najimov, the latter had expressed his willingness to welcome foreign investors, especially Malaysians to set up factories to manufacture cotton garments in Uzbekistan, Bernama reported.

Currently, Uzbekistan sends its raw cotton materials to Moscow for processing and production as garments as the country itself has no facilities to do produce the finished goods.

"Nasriddin believes that Malaysian investors have the capability in manufacturing cotton garments and the necessary expertise to develop the textile business," Radhakrishnan said to Bernama.

Radhakrishnan was in Uzbekistan to monitor the republic’s presidential elections on December 23 and had the meeting with Nasriddin after the elections.

He was one of the six-member Malaysian observer team, which was headed by the deputy chairman of the Malaysian Election Commission (EC) Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, to monitor the elections.

Besides Nasriddin, Radhakrishnan also held talks on business opportunities with Khodzibekov Marat Khudaikulovich (Deputy Minister of Health), Shayusuf Usmanov (Acting Director of Information Support and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency - Uzinfoinvest) and Narimon G.Mavlynov (the Chairman of the State Committee on Geology and Mineral Resources).

On other business opportunities in Uzbekistan, Radhakrishnan said that it had many natural resources such as gold,silver,copper lead and zinc.

"There is scope for bilateral business cooperation in these areas of natural resources," he said.

On developing the tourism industry in Uzbekistan, Radhakrishnan said he had pointed out to Nasriddin of the country’s great potential as a tourist destination for Malaysian tourists.

He has advised Uzbekistan to introduce a sustained tourism campaign like Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

"I said Uzbekistan should provide more information and promote the country to attract Malaysian tourists and he (Nasriddin) took note of this," said Radhakrishnan.

Recently, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who headed a delegation to promote VMY2007 in Uzbekistan, had held talks with its Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev on boosting tourism between Malaysia and Uzbekistan and facilitating travel by Malaysians to the country without visas.

Last year, 8,789 Uzbeks visited Malaysia while 2,165 Malaysians flew to the predominantly-Muslim country using Uzbekistan Airways.

Uzbekistan, a country of 447,400 sq km, is surrounded by Afghanistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Home to over 26 million people, Uzbekistan, a republic, declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

One of the most important events for Uzbekistan was the visit of former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tengku Fauziah Almarhum Tengku Abdul Rashid, the first royal couple in the world to visit the country after its independence.

Those who wish to obtain further information on business opportunities in Uzbekistan are advised to get in touch with the Embassy here at the following address: Embassy of Uzbekistan, 2nd Floor, Wisma Chinese Chamber, No.258, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.