MADRID, July 27. /Dunyo IA/. Ambassador of Uzbekistan Farrukh Tursunov has paid a working visit to the Autonomous Community of Galicia, one of Spain’s most economically developed and export-oriented regions, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Centerpiece of the visit was a roundtable discussion hosted by the “Círculo de Empresarios de Galicia” (“Galician Business Circle”) - an influential business association uniting approximately 400 major regional organizations and leading corporations - chaired by its President, María Borrás.

During the presentation, the Ambassador briefed the participants on the large-scale economic reforms underway in the country, the advantages of the investment climate, and the benefits of the GSP+ status, as well as the prospects for implementing joint projects in industry, pharmaceuticals, the agro-industrial complex, infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics and tourism.

For his part, Pedro Mouriño, CEO of “Iberatlantic Global Corporation”, emphasized the strategic importance of expanding cooperation between Spain and the countries of Central Asia, urging Galician companies to more actively leverage the new opportunities emerging in the Uzbek market.

Practical session of the event took the form of an open dialogue, providing representatives of Galicia’s leading enterprises with the opportunity to directly engage with the Ambassador on pressing matters regarding doing business in Uzbekistan. Topics of particular interest included the investment climate and the operations of free economic zones, among others. The Ambassador provided comprehensive responses to all inquiries, underscoring Uzbekistan's openness to long-term international cooperation, local production localization, technology transfer, and the implementation of mutually beneficial investment projects.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to organize a business mission of leading Galician companies to Uzbekistan in the autumn of this year, with the potential participation of representatives from the leadership of the Autonomous Community.

As part of the visit, the Ambassador also visited the headquarters of Spain's largest biopharmaceutical group, “Grupo Zendal”, where he held talks with its CEO, Andrés Fernández. The management of “Grupo Zendal” expressed interest in localizing production in Uzbekistan and confirmed its readiness to participate in the upcoming business mission, which will include visits to the Republic's pharmaceutical clusters.

Special attention was paid to developing cooperation in the field of aquaculture. During a tour of the “Feeding Systems S.L.” production facility, the company’s leadership reaffirmed its interest in expanding its presence in the Uzbek market. It is worth noting that the company has already participated in international business forums organized by the Embassy in Madrid and Vigo, and has signed a cooperation agreement with the Hokimiyat of Tashkent Region to implement a project for the construction of a modern fish farm.

Concluding event of the program was a visit to the production complex of “Ecoforest”, a European leader in geothermal technology and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. During the negotiations, the Ambassador put forward an initiative to apply the company's geothermal solutions to the construction of modern greenhouse complexes in Uzbekistan. It was noted that the implementation of these technologies would significantly increase the energy efficiency of greenhouses, reduce operating costs, and minimize environmental impact. The management of “Ecoforest” confirmed its readiness to develop a pilot project for one of the Republic's greenhouse complexes upon receiving the necessary technical and geological data.

Agreements reached create favorable prerequisites for attracting advanced Spanish technologies and investments to Uzbekistan, implementing new joint projects in the pharmaceutical industry, aquaculture, the agro-industrial complex and “green” energy sector, as well as further strengthening the trade and economic partnership between Uzbekistan and Spain.