This year the EBRD Annual Meeting will be held in Samarkand

According to the press service of the MIIT, on January 31, in the building of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Republic of Uzbekistan on holding the 32nd Annual Meeting of the EBRD Board of Governors in Samarkand in the period from 16 to 18 May, this year.

From the Uzbek side, the General Director of the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Vafayev took part in the event, and from the side of the Bank – the EBRD Secretary General Kazuhiko Koguchi, who is in Uzbekistan on an official visit.

The signed document defines the specific organizational tasks of each party in the preparation, holding and coverage of the EBRD Annual Meeting and Business Forum, which will be attended by more than 1,500 guests from 73 member states of the Bank. Holding an event of this level is expected to have a positive impact on improving the international image of Uzbekistan in the world investment community, as well as provide an opportunity for representatives of the business community to get acquainted in detail with the economic, investment and industrial potential, rich culture of our country.

The central theme of the event will be investing in the sustainability of the economy. During the meeting, it is planned to hold panel discussions on the development of measures to overcome the challenges faced by the member countries of the Bank. The business forum will include expert discussions on the macroeconomic situation, the role of the private sector and the state in the development of renewable energy sources, interregional relations, economic integration, food security, digitalization and many other issues.

For reference: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was established on March 28, 1991. The headquarters is located in London. Uzbekistan has been a member of the Bank since April 30, 1992. A representative office of the Bank was opened in Tashkent in May 1993. An office in Andijan – in October 2019, in Urgench – in June 2021.

The application for holding the EBRD meeting in Samarkand was submitted by Uzbekistan in 2019. In the same year, the EBRD delegation positively assessed the possibility of holding the Annual Meeting in our country.