As previously reported, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in South Korea on a state visit on November 22 at the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in.
The main events of the visit took place on 23 November.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev first took part in the South Korea-Uzbekistan business forum with the participation of heads of economic and financial structures and leading businessmen of the two countries.
At the opening of the forum, which was attended by more than 700 participants, the congratulatory message of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in was read out.
In his speech, the President noted that trade and economic relations between Uzbekistan and South Korea have been steadily developing, and modern conditions and opportunities for doing business have been created in our country. He noted that Uzbekistan is interested in further expanding cooperation with the business community of the Republic of Korea.
The Republic of Korea proposed to establish a business center in Uzbekistan.
Representatives of the South Korean financial and business circles praised the opportunities created for active business in Uzbekistan and expressed readiness to further develop cooperation.
The presentation of the book "President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev" in Korean about the one-year activity of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as President of the Republic of Uzbekistan was held here. Published in 50 copies, the book consists of 8 chapters and 320 pages.
The head of our state visited the National Memorial Complex, where about 170 people died in the name of the independence of the Republic of Korea. In honor of the memory of the patriots, he laid a wreath at the monument.
After that, an official welcoming ceremony was held for the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the residence of the President of the Republic of Korea “Chong va de” (“Blue Palace”). The guard of honor lined up. The national anthems of the two countries were played. The presidents passed in front of the guard of honor.
During the talks, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Moon Jae-in exchanged views on long-term priorities for further development of cooperation between the two countries, as well as current regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The peoples of Uzbekistan and South Korea are bound by ancient ties of friendship. The culture and mentality of the two peoples are similar. The Koreans, who came to our country by fate, became friends with the Uzbeks and became active members of our society. Our compatriots of Korean descent work in the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, local councils, government agencies, in all spheres of economic and social life.
The large Korean diaspora plays an important role in supporting friendly relations between our countries and bringing our peoples closer. It is the largest diaspora in the CIS (more than 180) and the fourth largest in the world. This year, the 80th anniversary of our compatriots of Korean descent living in Uzbekistan has been widely celebrated.
Relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea are consistent on the basis of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed in 2006, the Joint Declaration on Further Development and Deepening of Strategic Partnership adopted in 2014 and other important documents. developing. It serves to raise bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level in the political, trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked for the warm welcome and noted that the friendly relations between our peoples are strengthening.
The Republic of Korea and the Republic of Uzbekistan are strategic partners. South Korea is well-known in the world as a highly developed country with huge economic, scientific and technological, innovative and intellectual potential. We highly value our cooperation based on openness, mutual understanding and respect for interests, the head of our state said.
Moon Jae-in congratulated Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his state visit to the Republic of Korea and expressed readiness to continue and further develop the traditional high-level dialogue.
Uzbekistan is one of our closest partners and we are pleased that our relations in various fields are developing steadily. Today, South Korea is on the path to consolidating peace and prosperity throughout Eurasia. Uzbekistan, which plays a key role in Central Asia, is at the center of this plan, said the President of the Republic of Korea.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, 14 meetings at the level of heads of state have been held. In recent years, these dialogues have become more active, and friendly relations between the two countries are reflected in the most important sectors of the economy and in the humanitarian sphere.
Political relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea continue in the spirit of mutual support in the international arena. The approaches of the parties on issues of global and regional significance are similar or close.
The Presidents continued the dialogue with the participation of official delegations of the two countries. The parties discussed issues of expanding cooperation in trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Today, strong relationships between governments, ministries, departments, finance, banking institutions and business structures are expanding. Inter-parliamentary relations are developing and consultations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs are being held regularly.
The Republic of Korea is one of the leading trade, economic and investment partners of Uzbekistan in the Asia-Pacific region. At the end of 2016, the volume of bilateral trade exceeded $ 1 billion. Uzbekistan's share in South Korea's trade turnover with Central Asia is about 50 percent.
It was noted at the summit that the existing opportunities and potential for further development of cooperation are not fully used. It was noted that new steps will be taken in the coming years to further increase these figures.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the consistent reforms in the Republic of Uzbekistan are based on the noble idea that the people should serve the people, not government agencies. drew attention.
The President of the Republic of Korea also noted that Uzbekistan pursues a populist and rational policy, which will be an important factor in the consistent development of the country.
Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea has expanded. Seoul's investments in the Uzbek economy have exceeded $ 7 billion. 461 enterprises with the participation of the capital of this country operate in our country. Of these, 386 are joint ventures and 75 are wholly Korean-owned. These enterprises are successfully operating in the fields of oil and gas, petrochemistry and chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and textiles, information and communication technologies, transport and logistics, tourism.
Energy relations are also developing rapidly. In 2016, the Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex was built in cooperation with South Korea. $ 4 billion has been allocated for this large-scale project, which is a shining example of trade, economic and investment cooperation between our countries.
It is known that the Republic of Korea is one of the countries with internationally developed and attractive free economic zones. This country promotes the establishment and development of free economic zones in Uzbekistan. 20 enterprises with the participation of South Korea, China, Italy, Singapore, India, the UAE and other countries operate in the Navoi Free Economic Zone. In addition, since 2008, Korean Air has been transporting cargo through Navoi International Airport, introducing advanced technologies and effective systematic control at the airport.
In May this year, a cosmetics plant was built in the Navoi Free Economic Zone in cooperation with CNP Dream. These products are exported to Central Asian countries.
The advanced experience of South Korea in the field of urban management, transportation system and the creation of an effective system for the development of housing and communal services on the basis of the widespread use of modern technologies is widely used.
On October 24, South Korean Minister of Land Resources, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun Mi led Korea Eximbank, Korea Expressway, Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd., POSCO Engineering and Construction, HSnK Architects Group. In order to give priority to modern technologies and the construction of "smart cities", investors in our country paid special attention to the conditions created for business, in particular, the liberalization of monetary policy.
The International Cooperation Agency of the Republic of Korea and the Export-Import Bank of Korea are implementing a number of projects in our country. Large corporations such as Samsung and LG are setting up joint ventures in our country. In particular, Samsung has launched the production of home appliances with Artel.
Cultural and humanitarian ties further strengthen cooperation between our countries. Days of Culture of the Republic of Korea were held in our country. A house of Korean culture and art is under construction. This project is a clear demonstration of the high attention paid to the Korean diaspora in our country.
Relations in the field of education are also developing. Higher education institutions in our country have established cooperation with more than 30 research institutions in South Korea. Korean language and culture centers have been opened in a number of educational institutions. The opening of Inha University in Tashkent in 2014 raised relations in this area to a new level. This higher education institution is the first foreign educational institution that makes a worthy contribution to the training of highly qualified IT specialists at the level of international standards. Today, more than a thousand students study at the university in the field of information technology, engineering and logistics.
During the talks, the sides expressed readiness to continue high-level dialogue, further intensify cooperation in such areas as economy, energy, finance, investment, high technology, increase bilateral trade and expand humanitarian ties.
Following the talks, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in signed a Joint Statement on the comprehensive deepening of strategic partnership.
Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Human Resources Management of the Republic of Korea, Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Cooperation Agreement on the Introduction of the National Electronic Trade Platform in Uzbekistan, Intergovernmental Memorandum of Cooperation on Uzbekistan's Accession to the World Trade Organization, between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries for 2018-2020 Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of Korea on the Knowledge Exchange Program, the Intergovernmental Agreement on Loans from the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund for 2018-2020 and Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan Republic of Korea More than sixty documents have been signed, including an agreement on financial cooperation between the Export-Import Bank.
