Trade between Uzbekistan and Germany on the decline — ambassador

TASHKENT (TCA) — Trade between Uzbekistan and Germany in 2015 decreased by 18.2 percent, from 481 million euro in 2014 down to 380 million euro, German Ambassador to Uzbekistan Neithart Hoefer-Wissing told a news conference on January 26, Novosti Uzbekistana news agency reported.

Germany’s export to Uzbekistan last year amounted to 380 million euro compared to 465 million in 2014, the ambassador said.

Uzbekistan’s exports to Germany totaled 16.1 million euro (16.8 million euro in 2014).

In the ambassador’s words, Uzbek statistics may differ due to different statistical methodology.

Germany is the main trading partner of Uzbekistan in the European Union.  

The ambassador emphasized that Uzbekistan accounted for 22.5 percent of Germany’s trade with Central Asian countries.

The ambassador believes the Uzbek-German Business Council can help boost bilateral relations.  

The Council was established in March 2015. Its founders were more than 50 leading German companies and banks. The first meeting of the Council was held on February 25, 2015 in Berlin. Last November, the second meeting of the Uzbek-German Business Council took place in Tashkent.  

The ambassador also said that as the OSCE chair this year, Germany will develop and deepen multilateral relations with Central Asian countries and Uzbekistan in particular.   

It was earlier reported that over the past 15 years, German investments in the economy of Uzbekistan had exceeded $800 million. In addition, Germany had provided financial and technical assistance worth 330 million euro for the implementation of socio-economic projects in Uzbekistan.

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
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Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

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