Today, in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, the expert-level meetings for the seventh session of the Egyptian-Uzbek Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation began, in preparation for the ministerial committee meeting later this week, which will be chaired by Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation of Egypt, and Mr. Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The joint committee strengthens efforts to develop relations between the two countries; meeting for the first time since 2009, affirming Egypt's commitment to strengthening its relations with friendly and brotherly countries across various fields.
This session of the Egyptian-Uzbek Joint Committee is being held in light of the keen interest of the leaderships of both countries to strengthen bilateral relations, especially following H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's visit to Uzbekistan in September 2018, reflecting Egypt's focus on Central Asia, with Uzbekistan at its heart.
The expert meetings will discuss areas of mutual interest, as Egypt is keen to enhance bilateral relations in all fields, particularly in economic, scientific, and technical cooperation. The goal of this session is to promote and develop bilateral economic relations in all its sectors, remove barriers to growth, and increase inter-investment.
Al-Mashat explained that the joint committee aims to strengthen and elevate economic relations to meet the aspirations of both countries, as well as foster relations at the cultural and scientific levels. She emphasized that Egypt, through joint committees with sister and friendly countries, aims to establish clear frameworks for bilateral cooperation and achieve mutual interests at all levels.
The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation leads the expert meetings, with representatives from the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, and representatives from major pharmaceutical companies in Egypt, such as "ACDIMA". From Uzbekistan, representatives from the Ministries of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Culture, Transport, Energy, Higher Education, Tourism, and the Pharmaceutical Industries will also participate.
The agenda for the seventh session of the committee includes holding the Egyptian-Uzbek Business Forum, which will be attended by businesspeople from both countries. During this forum, all possible ways to increase economic cooperation between the two countries through the central role of the private sector will be discussed, along with areas of mutual interest, and opportunities for investment in both countries. Key areas of focus include pharmaceuticals, construction, food industries, tourism, technology, logistics services, and more.
The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation continues its efforts within the framework of the Egyptian government's program to develop and enhance economic relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners. The ministry oversees 54 joint committees between Egypt and other countries, including 30 European committees, and these committees are vital mechanisms for strengthening Egypt's economic relations at both the bilateral and multilateral levels.