Uzbekistan, Singapore ink 8 deals to expand bilateral ties

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Eight agreements to expand bilateral cooperation were signed during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Singapore.

The agreements cover trade and economic initiatives, cooperation in education, transport, healthcare, and between their respective prosecutor’s offices, as well as training of personnel, including civil servants, according to an Uzbek presidency statement issued late on Monday.

They were signed after Mirziyoyev held separate meetings with his Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with their discussions focused on deepening bilateral relations and regional cooperation.

“Tangible progress has been made on the trade and economic track. In recent years, trade has doubled. The number of enterprises operating in Uzbekistan with Singaporean capital has increased four times. Direct investments from this country into the Uzbek economy amounted to $700 million,” the statement said.

Mirziyoyev identified six key areas of cooperation with Singapore, namely development of human capital, privatization, green technologies, and digital solutions, improvement of urban infrastructure and communications, joint investment efforts and expanding mutual trade, and public security, it added.

Both sides emphasized “the importance of supporting investments and expanding mutual trade by promoting joint projects,” the statement said.

“An agreement was reached on the establishment of an Uzbek-Singapore investment company with an authorized capital of $500 million,” it added.