In the afternoon of March 12, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held online talks with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, the presidential press service said.
The German side is actively involved in promoting international initiatives to overcome the consequences of the pandemic, the report says.
With the assistance of Germany through the COVAX initiative, the first large batch of COVID-2019 vaccines will arrive in our country before the end of the month. As reported earlier, by March 20, Uzbekistan expects to receive 660 thousand doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as part of the COVAX initiative. Uzbekistan has also established close cooperation with the Robert Koch Institute.
The counterparts reportedly discussed the ways to expand bilateral ties in the context of the of the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They noted that the joint implementation of the agreements reached during the high-level meetings in Berlin two years ago, provide a sustainable dynamic in the development of bilateral relations.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude to the German government for expanding the program of financial and technical assistance to socio-economic reforms in Uzbekistan.
“In recent years, the two-way trade has grown 1.5 times, with about 50 new joint ventures set up. Such renowned German companies as MAN, Claas, Knauf, Papenburg have long been operating in Uzbekistan. Volkswagen and Viessmann entered the market for the first time, Siemens and Bosch returned after a long break. Last year, the volume of investments by German companies in the economy of our country surpassed US$ 700 million, ”the statement says.
At the meeting, an agreement was reached on supporting joint projects, business contacts and initiatives, as well as expanding the activities of leading German companies and banking institutions in Uzbekistan.
A regular meeting of the Uzbek-German Business Council is scheduled for May this year to discuss new areas of cooperation, primarily in the development of industrial clusters, digitalization and the "green economy", promotion of projects in the field of renewable energy.
The parties agreed to continue interaction on Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization, as well as within the framework of a constructive dialogue with the European Union, including the early completion of the preparation of an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
The two leaders stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in such areas as ensuring human rights and freedoms, combating corruption and gender equality.
In the field of humanitarian exchange, the initiative to expand the study of the German language in Uzbekistan and the adoption of a corresponding state program was supported.
The President of Uzbekistan and the Chancellor of Germany also exchanged views on the current international agenda and interaction within global and regional structures.
The German side supported Uzbekistan’s policies aimed at strengthening relations of friendship, good-neighborliness, trust and partnership in Central Asia. Efforts to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan and to promote regional infrastructure projects in the field of transport and energy for this purpose were highly valued.
At the end of the talks, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Uzbekistan.
