On May 17, Navoi hosted the first Uzbekistan – American – Canadian business forum. The event, organized by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the United States and Canada, together with Navoi regional khokimiyat, was attended by the delegation of the state of Mississippi led by Governor Phil Bryant, members of American – Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, businessmen from Texas, Florida, Nebraska, representatives of the Eximbank of the United States, USAID, the US diplomatic mission in Tashkent and others.
The forum was opened by the Governor of Mississippi Phil Bryant, who delivered a speech on the economic potential of this state and promising areas of cooperation with Uzbekistan.
The event also included speeches by officials of the Government of Uzbekistan and leading foreign investors who implement projects in Navoi region.
In the course of an organized cooperation exchange, direct bilateral negotiations were held between representatives of business circles of Uzbekistan and potential partners from the United States and Canada. American and Canadian businessmen organized tours to infrastructure, tourism and social facilities of Navoi region to explore the possibility of investing in their development.
Following the business forum, 10 agreements were signed, five of them in trade and investment sphere worth 150 million USD, and the rest in expanding cooperation in the fields of education and healthcare, as well as the development of sister city relations.
One of the most important documents, which was rightly called historical by the forum participants, became the Agreement on Establishment of sister city relationship between the cities Zarafshan and Clinton. Thus, Zarafshan became the third city in Uzbekistan, which has sister city relations with the United States cities. Previously, such relations were established between Tashkent and Seattle, as well as Bukhara and Santa Fe.
