On November 2, Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, took part in the work of the Uzbek-French Business Forum held in Samarkand.

The event was also attended by heads of ministries and departments, diplomatic missions, industry associations, banks, representatives of the expert community and heads of more than 150 large companies of the two countries.

Speaking with a welcoming speech at a panel session on intersectoral development, Laziz Kudratov noted a significant intensification of bilateral trade, economic and investment relations - during a high-level visit to France in November last year, investment agreements worth 6 billion euros were signed, a meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission was held, as well as a business forum with MEDEF International.

The key aspects of the comfortable investment climate created in Uzbekistan were presented, including tax and customs privileges and preferences, the abolition of licensing and obtaining permits for more than 100 types of activities, simplification of the registration procedure, legislative protection of investors' rights.

Particular attention was paid to the availability of preferential trade regimes with large regional and international markets, including the status of a GSP+ beneficiary, human resources and significant reserves of natural resources, developed infrastructure for the creation of industrial enterprises and exports, diversified transport corridors and, most importantly, the government's readiness to provide all possible support for the implementation of promising projects and initiatives.

As a result of the measures taken, the volume of foreign direct investment attracted by the country increased 3 times to $8.6 billion compared to 2017.

During the discussion, a questions and answers session as well as B2B and B2G meetings were held, where representatives of the business community were able to ask questions concerning the implementation of investment activities in Uzbekistan, discuss mutually beneficial initiatives and identify points of common interests.