Uzbek president proposes setting up Central Asia-Italy business club
TASHKENT. June 2 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has named trade and investment ties among the priorities of cooperation between Central Asia and Italy.
He also proposed creating a platform for the sides' business dialogue.
"Bearing in mind the traditionally strong positions of the Italian business community in the country's innovative development, we propose launching a permanent platform for business dialogue - a Central Asia-Italy business club under the auspices of our Chambers of Commerce and Industry," Mirziyoyev said at the Central Asia-Italy summit in Astana.
The text of his speech was published in Uzbekistan's official media on Saturday.
Such meetings, at which entrepreneurs are present, could be held annually, opening up new opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between the sides, he said.
Furthermore, it is important to develop and adopt a comprehensive multilateral program of industrial and technological cooperation, Mirziyoyev said.
"I am speaking about creating conditions conducive to technology transfers, the introduction of advanced knowledge and best practices, and to the creation of high tech industrial production facilities," he said.
Advanced processing of mineral resources and agricultural raw materials, production of state-of-the-art equipment for various industries, and establishing design centers with leading Italian brands could also become cooperation priorities, Mirziyoyev said.
Uzbekistan has begun creating a special industrial park to be managed by a European operator in the Tashkent area in order to implement projects of regional significance, he said.
When commenting on security ties, Mirziyoyev proposed launching mechanisms of multilateral cooperation and information exchanges between special services to facilitate the fight against terrorism, extremism, radicalism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration.
The first Central Asia-Italy summit took place in Astana on May 30 in the presence of the heads of the region's states and the Italian prime minister.
