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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22
By Nigar Guliyeva – Trend:
Entrepreneurship, innovation and technology have became the motto of 2018, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in his address to the parliament on Dec.22.
"I propose to name the year 2018 in our country the "Year of support to active entrepreneurship, innovative ideas and technologies," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
The president said this initiative is not just for the sake of the name, but also for effective practical results.
The president further said that Uzbekistan's economic growth in 2017 will be 5.5 percent, adding that the figure is real to achieve.
The growth of Uzbekistan's exports in 2017 will be 15 percent, the positive balance of foreign trade reached $854 million, he said.
"We began to ensure the free conversion of the national currency. The legal and physical entities were able to freely purchase and sell foreign currency in commercial banks. The volume of operations on the purchase and sale of foreign currency increased 1.5 times and amounted to $1.3 billion," said Mirziyoyev.
He added that gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by $ 1.1 billion during the year, which indicates the strength of the state.