BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 1
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Developing ties with the Uzbek private sector will be an important direction, International Chief Operating Officer of MEDEF International Bogdan Gadenne-Feertchak told Trend June 1.
According to Gadenne-Feertchak, with 50 percent of Central Asia's population, a strategic location and a strong political commitment to reforming, Uzbekistan is appealing.
“Some sectors are particularly attractive for French companies, among which we can mention agriculture and agro-food businesses, tourism, renewable energy and energy transition, environmental infrastructure and services, as wells as urban development,” he said.
He also noted that French companies have a lot to offer to Uzbek partners and can accompany the Uzbek authorities in their effort to reform, modernize and enhance country's economy, adding that the ties with Uzbek private sector are also to further develop.
“MEDEF International is a business association established by and for French companies. Therefore, our priorities primarily reflect the projects and expectations of French companies in Uzbekistan. MEDEF International will continue to focus on the sectors mentioned above, agriculture and agri-food, energy, environment and infrastructures in the broadest sense,” International Chief Operating Officer stressed.
In addition, he said that MEDEF International will keep monitoring the priorities of the Uzbek authorities for the regional development, tourism and digitalization.
“Developing the ties with the Uzbek private sector will also be an important direction, and we hope to develop our dialogue with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan with which we signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in May,” he said.
Commenting on how COVID-19 affected cooperation with Uzbekistan, Gadenne-Feertchak said that the pandemic forced to work differently, that is to say to move online interactions with Uzbek authorities.
“In 2020, we have never stopped our interactions with the members of the Uzbek government. It helped us to prepare for the resuming of business trips. On May 10 - 11, we accompanied French Minister Franck Riester to Tashkent with a large delegation of 40 companies. This is a very important moment in the bilateral relationship enabled to relaunch many projects that French companies had to put on hold during the crisis,” Gadenne-Feertchak said.
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