American Chamber
of Commerce in Uzbekistan
MONTHLY MEETING
Monthly Meeting on October 27, 2011
More than 100 members of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Uzbekistan and other representatives from the international business community gathered on Oct. 27 to listen to a report from U.S. Ambassador George Krol about U.S.-Uzbek relations. In his speech, the ambassador outlined the five priority directions in U.S.-Uzbek relations and mentioned that Uzbekistan is the United State’s main strategic partner in the region. The newly-built railway that runs through Uzbekistan is used to transport 50 percent of the non-lethal goods the United States sends to American troops in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan is also the main supplier of electricity to Afghanistan, he said. All of this is done with U.S. support.
The United States also works in Uzbekistan in the spheres of healthcare, agriculture, rule of law and good governance, job creation and many other areas through programs such as SABIT and Cochran, Krol said.
United States are Uzbekistan’s13th largest trade partner with an annual turnover of $180 million. This figure should increase, Krol noted, as the full services of commerce office with soon be launched. “With the experienced and highly qualified staff of the department, it will be as good if not better than it used to be,” Krol said.
Mutual cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan will continue to grow and prosper, Krol said, as noted with the recent series of high-profile visitors including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, plus a series of business events in Washington, D.C., including TIFA and the AUCC Business Forum.
“We have been here for 20 years and we will be here as long as Uzbekistan!” Krol concluded.
The monthly meeting was held in the Dome Restaurant of the InterContinental Hotel in Tashkent. This was the second time Krol has visited Uzbekistan and addressed AmCham. His first trip was in 2008 when he was the deputy assistant secretary of state.
Monthly Meeting on October 6, 2011
François Gauthier, ambassador of the French Republic to Uzbekistan, was the guest presenter at the October monthly meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Uzbekistan. The meeting was held at InterContinental Hotel Tashkent.In his presentation Gauthier spoke about the French presence in Uzbekistan while underlining that France was one of the first countries to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991. France began its diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan on Feb. 21, 1992 and opened its embassy in 1995.
Regarding the French business presence in Uzbekistan, Gauthier noted that French companies tend to be concentrated in the sphere of telecommunication, transportation and the pharmaceutical industries. Currently the French business presence includes 12 corporations, two enterprises with 100 percent French capital, and 15 representative offices. Yet this is only the beginning of a fruitful cooperation between the countries, Gauthier said.
During summer 2011, a delegation from the Movement of the French Enterprises (MEDEF) that represents 30 French companies and governmental agencies, visited Uzbekistan and held the Uzbek-French Business Forum.With a trade turnover of $174.4 million, France has joined the club as one of the top 10 largest partners in Uzbekistan. More than 15,000 French tourists travel to Uzbekistan every year, making France the leader in incoming tourism for Uzbekistan. Plans are underway to encourage more French tourists to visit Uzbekistan in the future,
The best news of 2011 is that the French Development Agency (AFD) has agreed to come to Uzbekistan.
“France is back and is ready to partner,” Gauthier concluded.
More than 60 representatives from the international business community gathered in October to hear Gauthier’s presentation. After the meeting, guests were invited to visit with each other and enjoy evening cocktails in the Club Lounge Room of the InterContinental Hotel.
AMCHAM PARTNERS
