“The main priority in the economic policy of the Bulgarian government is the promotion and the acceleration of the investments and innovations. Bulgaria has readiness for supplies on the Uzbek market of highly technological products in a number of sectors such as construction mechanization, pharmaceutics, electric equipment and so on.” This was declared by the Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski at the opening of a Bulgarian-Uzbek business forum in Tashkent. The event is conducted within the framework of an official visit of a Bulgarian delegation to Uzbekistan for participation in the fourth session of the Interdepartmental Bulgarian-Uzbek Commission for Economic and Scientific Technical Cooperation cо-chaired by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova on the Bulgarian part. Representatives of over Bulgarian companies which seek new possibilities on the Uzbek market took also part in the forum.
“The conduct of this forum clearly indicates the availability of interest by both countries in the enhancement of the interaction between the Bulgarian and the Uzbek business and realization of the full potential in our bilateral commercial and economic relations”, Minister Lukarski indicated. The Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiev on his part admitted that the commodity exchange between Bulgaria and Uzbekistan is modest at the moment and it does not correspond to the possibilities of the two countries. “There are a lot of spheres of mutual interest and we should work for the increase of the volume and diversification of the commodity exchange”, he also declared.
The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova also stated her confidence that there are not only solid traditions between the two countries but also serious possibilities for economic cooperation. “We should create successful examples and as a Cо-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Commission I would like to declare the support of the Bulgarian institutions for the enhancement of the business contacts between the two countries. The Bulgarian business shows significant interest in being present at the market in Uzbekistan”, she added.
Within the framework of the forum the three Ministers outlined a number of spheres in which there is a great potential for the increase of the commodity exchange and the attraction of investments. According to the words of Minister Lukarski the Uzbek market creates perspectives for the increase of the export of Bulgarian goods in the sphere of perfumery and cosmetics, the furniture production, medical, surgical and dental products, veterinary apparatuses and so on. Minister Ganiev emphasized the interest of the Uzbek part in the creation of highly technological productions in its free zones, inviting the Bulgarian companies to study the specific possibilities. According to the words of Minister Pavlova there are also possibilities in the sphere of agriculture, tourism, energy and energy efficiency. She also indicated that the Bulgarian construction enterprises have the capacity to participate in big infrastructural projects in Uzbekistan. Last but not least the cooperation between the two countries may also be enhanced within the context of the ambitions of Bulgaria to turn into a gas hub and a connection amongst the gas corridors between Europe and Asia.
For the encouragement of the business contacts and the commodity exchange between the two countries Minister Lukarski extended an invitation for participation of Uzbek companies in the International Fair in Plovdiv in autumn. Ganiev extended an invitation to our companies to take part in an exhibition for mining technologies in May.
Later on Minister Lukarski met his Uzbek colleague Galina Saidova in Tashkent. It became clear during the meeting that Uzbekistan shows interest in the import of Bulgarian technologies for the processing, textile and pharmaceutical industry.
Saidova explained that the aspiration of Uzbekistan is to renovate technologically its production capacities and to manufacture its own processed production which makes it independent on the import. Modern technologies are sought due to this reason. She also indicated that her country sets up as its goal to turn into an agro-industrial state. In the last 10 years Uzbekistan marked growth of the economy at the average by 8%, and its export already reached 15 billion US Dollars. Further to that structural reforms were initiated directed at technological modernization of the economy, creating industrial enterprises for processing in the locations where agricultural manufacture is yielded as well as in the production areas. Another priority in the policy pursued by Uzbekistan is the completion of the process for privatization and development of infrastructure which should service the industry.
At the meeting Minister Lukarski noted that the conducted Intergovernmental Bulgarian-Uzbek Commission for Economic and Scientific Technical Cooperation accompanied by a bilateral business forum passed with an exceptionally high interest. According to his words Bulgaria is a perspective partner thanks to the maintained financial and economic stability and the attained growth of 3% of the GDP which is above the average for the EU. He called the Uzbek tourists to make use of the possibilities of our resorts.
“We are here with the idea to expand the commercial and economic connections with Uzbekistan because last year our commodity exchange marked a decline”, Lukarski said. He added that there is a potential for that and that our country may offer a lot of technological solutions not only in the sphere of the construction but also in the pharmaceutical and the textile industry as our technologies are competitive as a price and quality.
The foreign trade between Bulgaria and Uzbekistan in the last few years has been characterized by the multiple growth of the Bulgarian export consisting of industrial goods as medicaments, cosmetics, machines and apparatuses.
In 2014 the commodity exchange between the two countries marked growth by 2.5 % with regard to 2013 and the Bulgarian export increased by 3.4 %, and the import marked a drop out by 7.0 %.
During the time period January – November 2015 the commodity exchange between the two countries marked a decrease by 23.7 % with regard to the same period of 2014, the Bulgarian export marked a decline of 25.1 %, and the import marked a drop out by 7.4 %.