After the meeting with the Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih, the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with CEOs of major Saudi Arabian companies Wednesday, the presidential press service said.
Minister of Investment in the event were present the CEOs of major companies and corporations, including Acwa Power, Al Muhaidib Group, Vision Invest, Data Volt, Riyadh Cables, Al Majdiah, InterHealth, Saudi Tabreed, AlBawani Holding, Miahona, Pemco, and many others.
At the meeting, Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that the groundbreaking for a historic new Tashkent international airport project would be laid today. According to the Japanese publication Nikkei Asia, the airport will be erected under public-private partnership terms. The partners will be the Saudi company Vision Invest and the Japanese trading house Sojitz.
We highly value the significant contribution of our Saudi partners to the economic transformation and development of Uzbekistan, the president noted.
He outlined priority areas for further cooperation, noting the particular importance of energy projects.
ACWA Power is currently implementing $15 billion worth of projects in Uzbekistan, including the wind and solar power plant and green hydrogen projects in the provinces. The use of domestic manufacturers in such projects will further boost the country's industrial potential, he noted.
The president also touched upon cooperation in IT and AI, noting the Data Volt, which is implementing a data center project in Tashkent city. A commitment has been expressed to support similar centers in New Tashkent and Bukhara, as well as to encourage the participation of other Saudi companies in digital initiatives.
Mirziyoyev stated at the meeting that Uzbekistan possessed significant reserves of tungsten, molybdenum, magnesium, lithium, graphite, titanium, and other strategically important minerals. A "Technopark of Future Metals" is planned in the Tashkent and Samarkand provinces, where the production of high-value-added products will be established. The President of Uzbekistan invited Saudi investors to actively participate in projects covering the full production cycle—from geological exploration and raw material extraction to processing and manufacturing of finished products.
In the area of infrastructure, successful cooperation with Miahona was noted on wastewater treatment projects in Fergana and Jizzakh, the development of water supply systems, and the modernization of pumping stations in Karakalpakstan.
Agreements were also reached with Saudi Tabreed on the development of public utilities.
The President invited Saudi companies to get actively involved in new projects aimed at modernizing infrastructure and improving the quality of life of the population.
In turn, the CEO of Saudi Arabian companies unveiled their perspectives on the ways to deepen their partnership and promote projects and programs in Uzbekistan.
