BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held private talks ahead of the Central Asia-U.S. (C5+1) ministerial meeting in Tashkent, Trend reports citing the US State Department.
"Our two countries have a wonderful, rapidly growing partnership, thanks in large part to the leadership of President Mirziyoyev," Pompeo told reporters during the press conference. "I know President Trump enjoyed hosting him at the White House back in 2018. That visit launched a new era of strategic partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan. "
"Based on my conversations with Foreign Minister Kamilov, I am confident that our ties will continue to grow," Pompeo said. "Foreign Minister Kamilov and I started off by talking about Uzbekistan’s reform agenda, which has already started to generate new foreign investments and jobs. We discussed ways, too, to further improve the business climate, strengthen the rule of law, and provide sustainable economic opportunities for all citizens all across Uzbekistan. We want private investment, American private investment sector, to flow between our two nations. There’s no better path to sustainable growth to foster investments than to create jobs and prosperity. "
Pompeo also mentioned the US support for developing capital markets of Uzbekistan.
"And I am pleased to announce today that we are committing, pending congressional approval, $1 million of technical assistance to help Uzbekistan develop its capital markets in addition to other efforts to promote financial reforms. We do all of this because America is a true partner with our friends here in Uzbekistan," Secretary Pompeo said.
"Uzbekistan also deserves praise for its progress on human rights issues. It is expanding space for civil society, addressing forced labor issues, and loosening restrictions on the media, just to name a few," Pompeo noted.
Also, Pompeo said that the US supports Uzbekistan's progress in religious freedom - including the state registration of several churches of religious minorities.