TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, January 31. French companies explored fresh paths for collaboration with Uzbekistan, Trend reports.
The news follows a meeting between a delegation of French entrepreneurs led by Claude Imoven, a leading representative of French businesses in international cooperation from the MEDEF International association, and Jamshid Kuchkarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan.
The meeting brought together representatives from major French companies, including Societe Generale, VEOLIA, Iveco Bus, EDF International Networks, Eiffage International, SUEZ, Voltalia, Orano, Airbus, Aéroports de Paris, TotalEnergies Renewables Uzbekistan, ALSTOM, and Egis. These corporate representatives provided insights into their activities, expertise, and potential areas of collaboration.
The sides focused on key areas of cooperation, including public-private partnerships to expand collaboration in infrastructure projects, promoting green growth by enhancing energy efficiency and implementing green technologies, and developing the energy sector through modernization of heat supply systems, improvement of electricity distribution, and utilization of hydroelectric power. The discussions also covered transport and road construction initiatives such as the modernization of airports and highways, agricultural and water supply projects aimed at improving irrigation systems, integrating modern technologies, and optimizing water resource management.
Furthermore, the parties explored ways to support the private sector, including expanding financial instruments and facilitating the transformation and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
Both sides emphasized the importance of leveraging international expertise and adopting innovative approaches to drive progress in these sectors. At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen cooperative ties, expand collaborative projects, and enhance the exchange of ideas to further economic and trade relations between France and Uzbekistan.
MEDEF International (Mouvement des Entreprises de France International) is France's largest business association, supporting French companies in entering the international market. The organization plays a crucial role in fostering economic and trade relations with foreign countries and maintains economic cooperation with over 120 nations worldwide.
As to France's relation with Uzbekistan, France seeks to strengthen collaboration with this nation to mitigate risks linked to the importation of certain minerals crucial for the green energy transition. These minerals are crucial for the manufacturing of various technology, including smartphones, wind turbines, and rechargeable batteries for electric cars. Although relatively underexplored, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian nations possess the capacity to aid France and other EU countries in diminishing their substantial reliance on China for critical minerals, thus alleviating the risks linked to their technological progress.
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