TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, March 14. Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Ludger Schuknecht visited Uzbekistan to hold high-level meetings and discuss projects under development, as well as organize the AIIB Annual Meeting in Samarkand in September this year, Trend reports, referring to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
During his visit, Ludger Schuknecht had productive meetings with Jamshid Khodjaev, Deputy Prime Minister, Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, and also Chairman of the AIIB Board of Governors, as well as Ilkhom Makhkamov, Minister of Transport and Bobur Usmanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The topics of discussion included AIIB's projects under development as well as the start of preparations for the Annual Meeting.
Meanwhile, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Jin Liqun, President of AIIB, at the bank's headquarters in Beijing in January this year. During the meeting, a three-year investment program was signed. The visit of the President of Uzbekistan underscored the key role of AIIB in the country's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
"We have successfully held constructive and productive discussions with our partners in Uzbekistan. I am encouraged by the country's commitment to progress and its willingness to engage in fruitful discussions, especially in the run-up to the AIIB Annual Meeting," Vice President Ludger Schuknecht noted.
A visit to Samarkand was one among the vice president's major highlights. He visited the SilkRoad Samarkand Congress Center, the site of the upcoming Annual Meeting, escorted by Samarkand's Deputy Khokim, the head of the executive branch. In addition, Schuknecht explored the city's historical monuments and became acquainted with the local way of life by sampling regional specialties that showcased the diverse culinary traditions of this remarkable area.
To note, today AIIB's investment portfolio in Uzbekistan amounts to more than $3 billion invested in 13 projects in the spheres of energy, transportation, green finance, and water infrastructure.
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