BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24
By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:
Germany supports the reform course of the Uzbek government and is aligning its cooperation with the country accordingly, spokesperson of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development told Trend in an interview.
It was noted that due to the reform process, Uzbekistan could become an attractive business location for foreign companies.
“Uzbekistan has been working on a sustainable opening and liberalization of its economy since 2016," the spokesperson stressed. "The government's reform agenda also includes anti-corruption measures. In the World Bank's Doing Business Report, Uzbekistan has moved up the list from ranking 166th in 2012 to 69th in 2019."
The spokesperson went on to say that future development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany will be based on the reform priorities of the Uzbek government.
“Key areas include support for the creation of jobs in the private sector, in particular in the area of processing agricultural goods, vocational education and training, and promoting small and medium-sized enterprises. Another focus of Germany's engagement will be on the administrative and judicial system and the area of social security, which will include, for example, strengthening the health system," she said.
Spokesperson of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development also emphasized the importance of Uzbekistan's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“It would enable Uzbekistan to further integrate with the international trade system, which could lead to additional economic growth and an increase employment,” said the official.
Obtaining the status of a beneficiary country of EU's the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) will grant Uzbekistan reduced tariffs, referred to as tariff preferences, or duty-free treatment, she added.
“The GSP+ system is a trade policy instrument of the European Union. It applies to the import of many industrial and agricultural products originating in the developing country concerned. The scheme is to help developing countries enter the markets of the EU,” spokesperson said adding that this tool will help increase sales of Uzbekistan's products in Europe.
---
Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
