AKIPRESS.COM - The First Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Jürgen Rigterink, will lead a delegation of senior management to Uzbekistan from 7 to 9 June 2021 for meetings with the authorities and business representatives, EBRD said.

The EBRD delegation will meet Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Investments and Foreign Economic Affairs and EBRD Governor Sardor Umurzakov and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov in Tashkent. The new EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia, Zsuzsanna Hargitai, will join the meetings.

During the visit, Mr Rigterink will also open the EBRD’s new regional office in Urgench in western Uzbekistan. He will sign infrastructure and financial-sector projects and launch several initiatives, which will promote environmentally friendly measures and contribute to Uzbekistan’s objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The EBRD First Vice President will meet with senior management of EBRD business partners in the country, major international investors and local representatives of international financial institutions.

In 2020, the EBRD responded to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan by committing US$ 521 million (€429 million equivalent) through 18 projects in various sectors of the national economy. The EBRD funds were used to support the country’s banking sector and private small firms’ access to finance, upgrade key infrastructure and promote the development of renewable energy.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than €2.4 billion through 97 projects in the economy of Uzbekistan.