Uzbek-Swiss JS Holds Sitting, Sides Take Pulse of Ties

On November 28 this year the Fourth Sitting of the Uzbek-Swiss Intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation was held in Tashkent, the local papers reported.

The heads of the ministries of the two countries on foreign trade and economic relations, banking and finance, investments, industry, tourism and healthcare participated at the event.

The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan N.Najimov said that the trade and economic cooperation is also consistently developing between Uzbekistan and Swiss Confederation as in many spheres.

The head of the Bureau on development and cooperation at the State secretariat on economy of Switzerland Jorg Al. Reding has underscored that Switzerland is interested in further expanding ties with Uzbekistan.

The cooperation between the two countries is especially developing in such areas as banking and finances, light industry, healthcare, pharmacy, agriculture, telecommunication and high technologies.

In 2006 the trade between Uzbekistan and Switzerland made up US $64,8 million. In January-September this year this index rose up to six-fold in comparison with this period last year.

Uzbekistan exports to Switzerland the cotton fiber, cotton fabric, thread and individual kinds of services. And it imports the electrical, mechanic and technological equipments, instruments and pharmaceutical products.

At the moment 94 enterprises have been established in Uzbekistan jointly with the Swiss businessmen and are successfully operating. The offices of 32 Swiss firms and companies were opened in Uzbekistan.

At the conference in Tashkent the representatives of business circles of Switzerland are reported to have learned about the economic transformations in Uzbekistan – the results of ongoing reforms, conditions created for foreign investors, as well as economic potential of the country, as a whole.

The sides discussed further expanding the scales of trade, economic, financial and investment cooperation between the two countries, and elaboration and implementation of new projects in the said directions. They have also exchanged views on fuller using the huge economic potential and opportunities of Uzbekistan and Switzerland. The participants of the event offered suggestions on increasing the volume of trade, number of joint enterprises and kinds of goods, as well as have set plans of further cooperation.