Uzbekistan has moved into a new stage of economic development, one in which the rule of law is being ensured and a policy course of encouraging investors is taking shape, the First Deputy Speaker of the Senate Sodiq Safoyev told the Menimcha (In My Opinion) program on the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
According to him, since the mid-1990s, only 10-15 companies were part of the US-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce in the United States, and for many years, high-ranking officials in charge of economic policy openly questioned why investors were coming at all.
"They said, 'Why do investors come at all? Just for making profit?' The entire world was portrayed as an enemy. We thought we would achieve something as a self-sufficient country with a closed economy. Unfortunately, we didn't," Safayev said.
He underscored that for 25 years, the country's economy had seen no significant reforms or development. "Today's problems are, frankly, a legacy of the past," he stated.
However, he underscored that the situation has changed in recent years:
"The situation in Uzbekistan has changed. The rule of law is being ensured, a policy of openness is being pursued, and investors and investment are being encouraged. This was also stated at today's meeting," he said.
He emphasized that the country's transformation was by large associated with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
"As they say in English, many say, 'You can make a difference.' That is, you can change the situation. That's exactly what the President was told. His political will, worldview, and far-sighted strategy has given us new impetus for our entry into Uzbekistan," Safayev underscored.
He also drew attention to ongoing processes in the region:
"We see that the situation has changed both globally and in Central Asia. This is a large region. If you include Afghanistan, it's a market with a population of approximately 100 million people. "It continues to grow," he said.
Safayev emphasized that, thanks to the "renewed diplomacy of the president since 2016," the countries of Central Asia are increasingly uniting:
"Central Asia is moving toward unification, a single market. Previously, it was fragmented among countries. And for investors, a small market is cramped. They need a large space," he explained.
According to him, the opening of borders, the development of infrastructure and transport corridors are turning Central Asia into a promising market.
The president Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a working visit to the United States from September 20-24 to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he held a series of meetings and negotiated agreements with the United States worth over $105 billion. One of the key events was his meeting with US President Donald Trump, who underscored the scale of the agreements reached. Abdulaziz Kamilov underscored that the talks between Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump had elevated relations between Uzbekistan and the United States to a level of stability and predictability.
In Mirziyoyev’s address to the UN General Assembly general debate, where he emphasized the organization's role in addressing global challenges, presented the reforms of the New Uzbekistan, and called for stronger international cooperation and peace.
