By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - The president of Uzbekistan held talks with the head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Wednesday, with the current state of cooperation and prospects for expanding bilateral partnership on the agenda.
"The head of our state noted with satisfaction that over the past six years, the interaction of Uzbekistan with this authoritative financial institution has reached an unprecedented level, said a statement by the office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The bank is one of Uzbekistan's main partners "in the implementation of important socio-economic programs," the statement added, following Mirziyoyev's meeting with Odile Renaud-Basso.
It also noted that they exchanged views on further expanding Tashkent's partnership with the EBRD in areas such as the introduction of public-private partnership mechanisms and the implementation of such projects in the energy sector, as well as transportation and logistics, health care, education, housing and communal services, green development, and women's and youth entrepreneurship.
"As a result of the meeting, an agreement was reached on the adoption of a joint roadmap, which provides for specific measures to strengthen cooperation between our country and the EBRD," the statement further said.
Renaud-Basso arrived in Uzbekistan to participate in the EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference in Samarkand, set to begin on Friday.
The EBRD said it invested almost $690 million last year in 22 projects in Uzbekistan, thus making the Central Asian country the largest recipient of its funds in that region for the second year in a row.