Uzbek President Meets Koo Yooncheol, Announces "Exclusive Industrial Complex for Korean Companies"

Deputy Prime Minister Koo Calls for Increased Korean Participation in Infrastructure Projects
Mirziyoyev: "Looking Forward to President Lee Jaemyung’s Visit"

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans to expand economic cooperation between South Korea and Uzbekistan, including the establishment of an exclusive industrial complex for Korean companies.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol met with President Mirziyoyev at the Samarkand Congress Center in Uzbekistan on the 3rd to discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. Ministry of Strategy and Finance

On May 3, Koo Yoon-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance, paid a courtesy visit to President Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during his trip to attend the Asian Development Bank (ADB) annual meeting. During the meeting, they discussed ways to ensure the successful hosting of the Korea-Central Asia Summit scheduled for September this year and the direction of economic cooperation between the two countries.

President Mirziyoyev referenced the Afrasiab murals in Samarkand, noting that Korea and Uzbekistan have shared a special friendship since ancient times. He expressed hope that, building on these friendly ties, bilateral trade and investment cooperation would further expand, and he looked forward to active discussions to discover new areas of collaboration and achieve tangible results.

Deputy Prime Minister Koo highly praised Uzbekistan's achievements in economic development through its recent reform and opening-up policies. He emphasized that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in industries including biotechnology, infrastructure such as railways and airports, supply chains, and interregional collaboration. He also requested that Uzbekistan provide more "windows of opportunity" for highly capable Korean companies to actively participate in the key projects under Uzbekistan's 2030 development strategy, such as industrial diversification and infrastructure modernization. He expressed his hope that, through these efforts, the two countries would jointly lead the advancement of high-tech industries and transportation and logistics in Central Asia, achieving shared prosperity together.

President Mirziyoyev announced plans to establish an industrial complex exclusively for Korean companies in Uzbekistan. He also stated that he would pursue visits to Korea by Uzbek regional governors within the first half of the year and expressed his anticipation for President Lee Jaemyung’s visit. In response, Deputy Prime Minister Koo pledged to continue close consultations between the two countries' deputy prime ministers to contribute to expanding economic cooperation and exchanges.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-chul, who is visiting Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Meeting, is having a brief meeting with Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Hojaev and Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Kutskarov Hojaev at the Congress Center on the 3rd. Ministry of Economy and Finance

Prior to his meeting with the president, Deputy Prime Minister Koo met with Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov, as well as vice ministers from the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Health. Together, they reviewed the current status of bilateral economic cooperation and discussed directions and plans to further expand future achievements.

The deputy prime ministers of both countries agreed on the need to expand cooperation from traditional infrastructure-centered projects to future-oriented sectors such as biotechnology and critical minerals. Deputy Prime Minister Khodjaev expressed hope for closer collaboration with Korea in Uzbekistan’s priority projects such as the development of medical and pharmaceutical clusters and the construction and operation of a new airport. Both countries agreed to continue discussions to expand economic cooperation and resolve business challenges through deputy prime minister-level meetings and vice-ministerial communication channels.

Following the deputy prime ministers’ meeting, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU aims to support companies from both countries and expand economic cooperation achievements through policy finance provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea in key areas such as supply chain management, digital and green industries, and infrastructure. Deputy Prime Minister Koo welcomed the signing of the MOU, expressing hope that it would serve as a "catalyst" and a "bridge" to swiftly materialize and implement bilateral cooperation projects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.