In the Élysée Palace, the negotiations between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron took place.
The heads of state thoroughly discussed the issues of further developing and strengthening the multifaceted Uzbekistan-France relations, face-to-face and with the participation of delegations.
The satisfaction with the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of the two countries' leaders in the city of Samarkand in November 2023 was noted with pleasure.
Active dialogues continue at various levels. Last year, the volume of trade turnover exceeded 1 billion euros for the first time, and the number of joint ventures increased fourfold.
In our country, the leading companies of France such as “Orano,” “EDF,” “Total,” “SUEZ,” “Voltalia,” “Veolia,” and many others are operating successfully. The collaboration with the French Development Agency has reached a new quality level, with a new Cooperation Program being adopted.
Within the framework of the preparations for the visit, the Intergovernmental Commission meeting and the "MEDEF" business mission were successfully held, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry began its work.
Currently, joint events are being held in the cities of Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, and Nice, with active participation of the regions. Recently, a joint medical forum and a conference on science and education, as well as presentations dedicated to the tourism potential and culture of Uzbekistan were held. In the city of Gretz-Armainvilliers, a bust of the great scholar Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was unveiled.
Priority was given to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in trade-economic and investment-financial areas, and advancing cooperative projects with leading French companies and enterprises.
A new Innovation and Industrial Partnership Program has been prepared for this summit. It envisions advancing joint projects worth 6.5 billion euros in the fields of mining and processing of important mineral raw materials, energy, infrastructure development, transport, and other sectors.
In general, the portfolio of joint projects amounts to more than 12 billion euros.
In this regard, the importance of expanding financial support instruments was emphasized.
The head of our state proposed the establishment of the Uzbekistan-France Investment Council and holding its first meeting in June of this year within the framework of the Tashkent Investment Forum, with the aim of establishing long-term cooperative relations.
To encourage interregional relations, it was agreed to hold the first forum of the regions of the two countries next year in the city of Samarkand.
The leaders paid special attention to expanding practical cooperation in humanitarian areas. The plans to organize an exhibition of avant-garde works from the collection of the Savitsky Museum in Paris, and to open a branch of the French Heritage Institute in our country for cooperation in preserving and restoring cultural monuments were supported.
This year, the opening of the Uzbekistan-France University in Tashkent, which will involve experienced French specialists, was highlighted as a key agreement in the field of education. Effective cooperation in training French language teachers will also continue.
The parties will consider increasing the number of direct flights to stimulate business, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
The heads of state also exchanged views on current issues of international and regional significance. Continuing to support each other within the framework of multilateral organizations, and uniting efforts in combating terrorism, extremism, radicalism, cybercrime, and other modern threats to security were highlighted as important.
An agreement was reached to create a Strategic Planning Group led by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and involving economic agencies for the purpose of establishing and coordinating systematic dialogue.
At the end of the negotiations, the heads of state came to a historic decision to establish strategic partnership relations between the two countries.
At the end of the meeting, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited President Emmanuel Macron to visit Uzbekistan at his convenience for a return visit.
