PRAGUE, June 9. /Dunyo IA/. Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the Czech Republic Dilshod Akhatov, in an interview with the leading Czech economic publication “iTradeNews.cz”, discussed the current state, priority areas and prospects of Uzbek-Czech relations, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the diplomat, over the past decade, Uzbekistan has consistently implemented reforms aimed at economic liberalization, improving the business climate, modernizing the legislative framework and expanding its policy of openness. Despite external challenges, the country's economy maintains a steady annual growth rate of 6-7 percent on average.

“First, I would like to highlight economic liberalization and private sector development. Just as an interesting fact, in 2016, there were about 218,000 small and medium-sized enterprises; today, there are over 500,000. Second, there is investment, including in the “green” economy and “green” energy. And finally, development of innovative business models, digitalization and innovative information technologies.

I would first like to note that the signing of the Joint Declaration on the establishment of Enhanced Partnership in 2023 is a natural continuation of more than thirty years of Uzbek‑Czech relations. Politically, it builds on a dense high‑level dialogue: visits by presidents and prime ministers of both countries, meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, regular contacts between foreign ministers and active inter‑parliamentary exchanges”, - Ambassador noted.

Economic cooperation is already yielding concrete results, with bilateral trade volume exceeding 200 million USD in 2025. Currently, 44 enterprises with Czech capital operate in Uzbekistan, 14 of which are fully Czech-owned companies. Furthermore, the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Industrial, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation has already held ten meetings, the most recent of which took place in Prague in March 2025.

As a practical example of successful interaction, the interview highlighted the visit of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to Uzbekistan on April 29-30 of this year, accompanied by representatives from around 50 leading Czech companies. This visit demonstrated an accelerating transition from traditional export-import relations to joint manufacturing, localization, the establishment of service centers and the development of research and development cooperation.

In conclusion, Ambassador noted that over the next 10-20 years, the development of human capital, educational ties, and youth contacts will become just as crucial and fruitful an area of Uzbek-Czech relations as trade, investment and economic cooperation.