President receives Asian Development Bank delegation

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received a delegation led by Masato Kanda, President of the Asian Development Bank, during his visit to Samarkand on May 3, the presidential press service reported.

At the beginning of the meeting, the head of the bank expressed sincere gratitude to the Uzbek leader for supporting the holding of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Uzbekistan and for the assistance provided.

The sides discussed practical aspects of expanding broad, mutually beneficial cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank.

Both parties noted with deep satisfaction that cooperation has reached a high level. Over the past 30 years, the bank has become a genuine strategic partner of Uzbekistan.

The project portfolio amounts to nearly $16 billion, making Uzbekistan one of the bank’s largest partners in the region in terms of operations.

Important projects have been implemented and are ongoing in areas such as the modernization of railways and roads, energy and social infrastructure, the upgrading of water supply and sewage systems, as well as the development of agriculture and the private sector.

The President of Uzbekistan and the bank’s leadership emphasized the importance of the timely and effective implementation of projects worth a total of $12.5 billion, included in the new partnership program with the Asian Development Bank through 2030, which was signed on the sidelines of the summit.

The sides also agreed to cooperate in supporting the mortgage market, the private sector, youth and women’s entrepreneurship, reducing poverty, promoting inclusive education and human capital development, introducing digital innovations, and modernizing infrastructure in special economic zones.

Particular attention was paid to advancing major infrastructure projects in Central Asia, including by strengthening the bank’s leadership in mobilizing financial resources.

The President of Uzbekistan wished the leadership and staff of the Asian Development Bank success in holding the Board of Governors’ meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a ceremony was held to exchange the new partnership program between Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank for the period up to 2030.