President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks in a narrow format with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is on an official visit to Samarkand, Nova24.uz reports.
During the talks, Macron expressed his gratitude to Mirziyoyev for the invitation and the warm reception extended to the French delegation. He expressed full support for the ongoing program of irreversible reforms in the New Uzbekistan.
The leaders of the two countries extensively discussed further enhancing comprehensive Uzbek-French cooperation and agreed to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
It was emphasized that in recent years, Uzbek-French multidimensional relations have been dynamically developing in all areas.
The significant growth in trade turnover and the number of joint ventures was noted with satisfaction. The portfolio of active and prospective investment projects has exceeded 10 billion euros. A program of strategic cooperation with the French Development Agency worth 1 billion euros is also being implemented.
Measures to promote new major projects in the fields of green energy, resource extraction and processing, innovative agriculture, water supply, logistics, infrastructure development, tourism, and more were discussed.
France expressed its readiness to continue supporting Uzbekistan's efforts to strengthen trust in Central Asia and the country's accession to the WTO, as well as the prompt signing of the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation with the European Union.
The importance of continuing the political dialogue, strengthening security cooperation, and effectively addressing emerging challenges and threats was emphasized.
The rich cultural and humanitarian agenda was also positively noted. There is a growing interest in the study of the French language in Uzbekistan. In this regard, both sides welcomed the opening of a branch of the French Alliance in Samarkand.
An agreement was reached to accelerate the establishment of a Uzbek-French university in Tashkent and expand cooperation in the training of French language teachers.
The heads of state also exchanged views on current international and regional issues.
Following the talks in Samarkand, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement.
In the document, they stated that the countries will elevate their relationship to the level of a strategic partnership. They assessed the current state of cooperation and the prospects for deepening intergovernmental ties, confirming the desire of both sides to enhance their interaction within international organizations and jointly address current global and regional issues.
In the presence of the presidents, eight bilateral agreements were signed in the areas of finance, education, culture, and other fields of intergovernmental cooperation.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
November 2, 2023