A small meeting between the presidents of Uzbekistan and France took place in the congress center in Samarkand

A small meeting of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the Republic of France Emmanuel Macron was held at the Congress Center in Samarkand. At the beginning of the meeting, the leader of our country emphasized that the first visit of the French President to Uzbekistan in the last 30 years is of historical importance. Emmanuel Macron thanked the head of our country for the invitation to visit and the warm hospitality shown to the French delegation. The French leader fully supported the program of irreversible reforms implemented in New Uzbekistan. The leaders discussed in detail the issues of further development of comprehensive cooperation between France and Uzbekistan and agreed to raise bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. It was noted that the multifaceted Uzbek-French relations are rapidly developing in all directions in recent years. It was noted with satisfaction that the number of trade and joint ventures has doubled. The portfolio of current and prospective projects has exceeded 10 billion euros. A 1 billion euro Strategic Partnership Program is being implemented with the French Development Agency. Measures to promote new large-scale projects in "green" energy, extraction and processing of raw resources, innovative agriculture, water supply, logistics, infrastructure development, tourism and other areas were discussed. France is ready to continue to support Uzbekistan's efforts to build confidence in Central Asia, as well as our country's accession to the WTO and the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union as soon as possible. it was noted that It was noted the importance of continuing political dialogue, strengthening cooperation in the field of security, effective combating of emerging threats and risks. It was noted with pleasure that the agenda of cultural-humanitarian cooperation is rich. It was said that interest in learning the French language is increasing in Uzbekistan. In this regard, the parties welcomed the opening of the branch of the French alliance in Samarkand. It was agreed to accelerate the opening of the Uzbek-French higher education institution in Tashkent and to expand cooperation in training French language teachers. The heads of state also exchanged views on current issues of international and regional importance.