During a state visit to South Korea, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with President Lee Jae-myung, according to the Uzbek president's press service. The two sides discussed deepening their special strategic partnership.
According to the press service, more than 700 joint ventures with Korean capital operate in Uzbekistan, including Samsung, LG, Lotte, BoMI and KIA, and the volume of Korean investment in the country's economy has exceeded $8 billion. Among the joint projects cited were the KIA Roodell car plant in Jizzakh, the Ustyurt gas chemical complex and the National Children's Medical Center. With support from KOICA, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the EDCF fund, initiatives are being implemented in industry, IT, agriculture and water management, energy, infrastructure, healthcare and education.
Mirziyoyev identified five priority areas for expanding the partnership: trade ties, investment, critical minerals, transport and infrastructure. During the visit, prospective projects worth $12 billion were prepared, and a strategic partnership program with the Export-Import Bank of Korea worth $8 billion was adopted. Plans are underway to form an innovation and technology alliance based on Korean technologies and Uzbekistan's resource and industrial potential, with a focus on IT and cybersecurity, and medical and pharmaceutical technologies.
Separately, a readiness to develop military-technical cooperation was stated. The leaders noted the holding of the first Uzbek-Korean interregional forum and agreed to hold the next event in Samarkand. Four branches of South Korean universities and five vocational training centers supported by KOICA operate in Uzbekistan. The year 2027 is to be declared the Year of Culture and Mutual Exchanges.
Source: Spot
