President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with the top managers of major French companies, and reportedly urged them to invest in projects in Uzbekistan, the President’s press service said.
Among the present companies were Total, Total Eren, Orano, Fives Stein, Rangis Semmaris, Vinci, Suez, SAD, Idemia, Mercier, Thales Alenia Space, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, French Development Agency and others.
Uzbek leader underscored that foreign investors are being provided favorable conditions in Uzbekistan, adding that the necessary regulations to stimulate and protect the investments were being adopted, obstacles for doing business were being eliminated and the trade and customs tariffs significantly reduced.
The upcoming tax overhaul initiated by the President Mirziyoyev will provide greater convenience for businesses and investors.
“For the direct dialogue with foreign investors, it was decided to set up the Council on Foreign Investments under the President of Uzbekistan., which is entrusted to prepare proposals for continuous improvement of Uzbekistan’s investment climate, taking into account the opinions of the investors themselves. We invite you to actively contribute to the work of the Council,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
French businessmen highly valued the economic reforms that are being undertaken in Uzbekistan and stressed that the liberalization of the foreign exchange system and eased visa procedure for French citizens had indeed facilitated the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.
The said conditions and waivers increased interest in the Uzbek economy among the investors. The sides also discussed the ways to further develop partnership between financial institutions, firms and companies of Uzbekistan and France.