Uzbekistan-Singapore: New Horizons for Multifaceted Cooperation

The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev made a State Visit to Singapore at the invitation of Singapore President Halimah Yacob. Upon arrival, Mirziyoyev met with Singapore President, Halima Yaqub. A guard of honor lined up in front of Singapore's ‘Istana’ Presidential Palace in honor of the distinguished guest. The military orchestra played the national anthems of the two countries.The palace hosted a naming ceremony in honor of the President of Uzbekistan of a new orchid variety, a flower which is a national symbol of Singapore. By tradition, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev personally placed a plaque with the name of the new orchid variety - "Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Orchid".Bilateral meeting between the presidents of the two statesThe sides exchanged views on prospects of further deepening the relations between Uzbekistan and Singapore and cooperation in the field of reforms for further democratization of socio-political life. The sides considered in detail the experience of the two countries in regional cooperation and integration in Central and Southeast Asia. Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited Halima Yacoub to visit Uzbekistan at any time convenient for her.

Bilateral meeting between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Singapore Prime MinisterWithin the framework of the visit, Mirziyoyev held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the ‘Istana’ residence. The parties discussed in detail the current state and prospects of interaction and noted the positive dynamics of cooperation in priority directions. Trade turnover between the two countries has doubled in recent years. The number of enterprises with Singaporean capital operating in Uzbekistan has quadrupled. Direct investments from Singapore into the Uzbek economy have reached $700 million. The head of Uzbekistan has identified six key areas of cooperation with Singapore for the near future:

1 - Development of human capital and training of highly qualified specialists for public administration. (An agreement was reached to implement a joint program with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to train and raise the qualification of civil servants in the areas of governance, urban development, infrastructure development, digital transformation, innovation, education and healthcare. On the basis of the Academy of Public Administration of Uzbekistan a program of intensive retraining of civil servants with the involvement of leading Singaporean experts will be launched.)

2- Singapore's involvement in privatization processes in Uzbekistan. (The sides suggested creating a joint investment fund to transform and restructure state-owned enterprises in order to launch IPOs and attract foreign investments.)

3 - The involvement of advanced "green" technologies and digital solutions.

4 - Improvement of urban infrastructure and communications. (The sides agreed on cooperation in the field of urban planning and construction, landscaping and utilities. The first step in this direction was an agreement on setting up a joint design and engineering center for the implementation of infrastructure and field projects in Uzbekistan.)

5- The importance of supporting investments and expanding mutual trade by promoting joint projects with leading Singaporean companies. (The sides agreed on setting up an Uzbek-Singapore investment company with a charter capital of $500 million) 

6 - Need to exchange experiences in ensuring public security, preserving interethnic harmony and combating radicalism.

Following the talks, an exchange ceremony of bilateral documents was held. In the presence of heads of delegations, the sides exchanged 8 documents envisaging further enhancement of Uzbek-Singaporean cooperation. In particular, agreements on cooperation in education, transport, healthcare, and personnel training, including that of civil servants have been inked. In addition, agreements on trade and economic cooperation and interaction between the prosecutor's offices of the two nations have been reached.