A meeting was held with the UK trade envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, Lord John Alderdice

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Ministers of Economy and Finance Umid Abidkhadjaev and Ilhomjon Umrzakov, the UK Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan Timothy Smart, as well as representatives of the London Stock Exchange Group, Arup, and UK Export Finance.

During the dialogue, the parties discussed the current state of trade and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom and the prospects for its further expansion. Information was provided on the wide-ranging economic reforms implemented in Uzbekistan in recent years, including efforts to ensure macroeconomic stability, improve the investment climate, and strengthen the role of the private sector.

The parties paid particular attention to the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, including railway and road projects, airport modernization, increasing the share of green energy in the energy sector, and expanding the use of public-private partnership (PPP) mechanisms. In addition, discussions covered the transformation of state-owned enterprises and banks, accelerating privatization processes, and prospects for bringing national companies to international capital markets, including the London Stock Exchange.

During the negotiations, the work being carried out by Arup International Projects Ltd on developing the master plan concept for the central street of Chelak town in Samarkand region was highly commended.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Arup and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on “Supporting the sustainable growth of regions through engineering and transport infrastructure master planning and capacity building.”

The parties agreed to continue practical cooperation aimed at further deepening mutually beneficial relations between Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom, expanding investment and financial partnership, and implementing joint projects.