What does a nation need to reach its goal of improving the standard of living and ensuring prosperity? The answer is clear: peace, well-being of its citizens, exemplary public administration, and people who can make the most of the opportunities available. Uzbekistan and Germany have such qualities, and their collaboration has been growing.
Germany is known for its groundbreaking inventions, from the airbag to the X-ray machine, from the computer chip to the mp3 audio format. It is also the homeland of renowned writers, poets, and composers, such as Johann Goethe, Franz Kafka, Erich Maria Remarque, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Böll, Johann Sebastian Bach, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Felix Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Johannes Brahms.
The country’s economy is thriving, with a gross domestic product that ranks among the highest in the world. It has the second-largest economy after the United States, China, and Japan, and is ninth on the UN Human Development Index. This is remarkable, considering that Germany’s economy was destroyed in the aftermath of World War II.
Uzbekistan and Germany have seen a rapid increase in their exchange of goods and services in the past six years, with the figure rising from $530 million to $1.2 billion. It is expected to double again in the coming years as production diversifies. German products that are in demand in Uzbekistan include fruits and vegetables, textiles, clothing, and industrial products.
Investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and rich, technologically advanced countries is essential for the development of the former. Germany has invested 5.5 billion dollars in Uzbekistan, with four billion of those coming in the last one or two years. Over 100 joint ventures with German capital are currently operating in Uzbekistan, including the CLASS concern, the Lemken agricultural machinery manufacturing enterprise, the Falk Porsche Fiberglass manufacturing enterprise, and the Papenburg company.
The two countries have also been strengthening their cultural and humanitarian ties. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev opened an exhibition of the cultural and historical heritage of the Uzbek people in Berlin. An agreement was also reached to prepare a comprehensive Program for studying the German language in Uzbekistan and expand the activities of the Goethe Institute in Tashkent.
President Mirziyoyev will visit Berlin on September 28-30, at the invitation of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. During the visit, the Leader of Uzbekistan will hold talks with the Chancellor and Federal President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier, and attend the meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Germany. He will also participate in business events organized by the Eastern Committee of German Economy.
The President’s visit to Germany is expected to take the mutually beneficial collaboration between the two countries to a new level. Relations between Uzbekistan and Germany are consistently developing, thanks to the strong will and practical efforts of the two countries’ leaders.
Irismat Abdukhalikov, UzA