Baku, Azerbaijan, February 28
By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend:
The United States increased aid to Uzbekistan from $10.1 million in 2016 to $28.1 million in 2018 fiscal year, Trend reports with reference to press service of The US Embassy in Uzbekistan.
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells made this statement during the annual US-Uzbek political consultations in Tashkent.
Wells noted that the increase in aid shows Washington’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and supporting the reform program in Uzbekistan.
“Uzbekistan became famous again throughout the world after the country implemented reforms in the economy and management, new opportunities for cooperation and investment, both with neighboring countries and with the whole world. All of Central Asia benefits from the fact that Uzbekistan plays its legitimate role on the world stage. The United States supports and encourages the revival of Uzbekistan,” Wells said.
Speaking at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED), she noted the strengthening of ties between countries in the field of economy and trade. In particular, she recalled that last October in Uzbekistan, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Central Asian Trade Forum was held, where entrepreneurs made deals in the amount of more than $56 million.
In addition, Wells noted that the US supports Uzbekistan’s desire to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and provided an expert to advise the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment on this process.
Wells added that the United States pays tribute to Uzbekistan’s “friendship with neighbors” policy that benefits all Central Asian countries.
“With the opening of borders and the settlement of old disputes, cooperation in many areas has increased, which has led to the establishment of new ties and the strengthening of stability in the entire region, including in Afghanistan,” the diplomat stated.
Furthermore, Wells said that the US Peace Corps could return to Uzbekistan.
The return of Peace Corps to Uzbekistan would provide important and sustainable connections between people and significant support in terms of expanding the teaching of English language. Peace Corps volunteers are ordinary Americans who want to learn about your history and culture and share the American culture with you ", the US diplomat stressed.
In its turn, Uzbekistan is ready to invest in the US economy. In particular, in mid-February of this year, the Minister of Finance of Uzbekistan Jamshid Kuchkarov said that the country plans to reduce the share of gold in its foreign exchange reserves by purchasing US Treasury bonds.
The Peace Corps is an independent US Federal Government agency. It was established on March 1, 1961. The corps has been working in Uzbekistan since 1992, when a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organization curtailed its activities in the country in 2005.
The Peace Corps sends volunteers to more than 70 countries around the world, to collaborate with government agencies, schools, non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations and entrepreneurs in the fields of education, entrepreneurship, information technology, agriculture and ecology.
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