President Mirziyoyev welcomed Sitharaman and mentioned that India and Uzbekistan share a profound historical connection…reports Asian Lite News
India’s Finance Nirmala Sitharaman has called on President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the sidelines of the 9th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of AIIB, in Samarkand, yesterday.
The finance minister has conveyed warm greetings to H.E. Mr. Mirziyoyev on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also thanked Uzbekistan for participating in the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit held in August 2024.
President Mirziyoyev welcomed Sitharaman and mentioned that India and Uzbekistan share a profound historical connection and assured of Uzbekistan’s support to further strengthen bilateral ties.
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The Finance Minister informed Mirziyoyev of the very productive meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and with Trade, Investment and Industry Minister for fostering collaboration in new areas like digital technologies, fintech, AI, Renewable Energy, civil application of nuclear energy, healthcare, pharma sector, DPI, cooperation in rare earth and long term procurement of uranium and fertilisers.
Sitharaman suggested to Mirziyoyev that as tourism between India and Uzbekistan continues to increase, bilateral discussion on cooperation in fintech, a cross-border real-time payments system will be of great convenience to students, tourists and businesses on both sides.
Recognising the potential for further enhancing bilateral cooperation, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev appreciated India’s proposals to collaborate in new areas such as digital technologies, renewable energy in addition to strengthening traditional areas of cooperation.
The finance minister also informed to Mirziyoyev that India appreciates Uzbekistan’s efforts towards sustainable development, and both nations can explore ways to cooperate on green technologies and climate action initiatives.
Sitharaman had earlier met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Jamshid Khodjaev.
The two ministers discussed Strategic Partnership in the areas of, IT, education, digital connectivity, renewable energy, civil applications of nuclear energy and healthcare, ayurvedic medicine, and pharmaceuticals.
Highlighting the phenomenal growth in digital payments ecosystem in India, the Union Finance Minister offered the possibility of Uzbek fintech firms’ collaboration with Indian firms to develop innovative products.
Discussions were also held on the potential investment opportunities in IFSC Gift City.
Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Khodjaev assured long-term cooperation with India in various sectors to enhance trade and business opportunities.
Earlier, Nirmala Sitharaman met with Uzbekistan Trade Minister Laziz Kudratov in Samarkand, and discussed areas of mutual interest in renewable energy, fertilisers, and pharmaceuticals, aiming to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.
Sitharaman embarked on a five-day official visit to Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
During the visit, Sitharaman will meet with her counterparts from Uzbekistan, Qatar, China, and AIIB President, the Ministry of Finance had said in a statement.
India is the second largest shareholder of the bank. The multilateral discussions centred around a broad spectrum of important global issues relevant to the development agenda.
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