OREANDA-NEWS. July 07, 2010. During a press conference in Tashkent, Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Uzbekistan Slavomir Stshalkovsky addressed the status and prospects of the trade and investment relations between Uzbekistan and Poland.

Slavomir Stshalkovsky noted that during the first half of 2010 Uzbekistan and Poland have continued to work on all key aspects of the Uzbek-Polish economic cooperation. Unfortunately, negative factors of the global external trade conditions occurring in the past year had an effect on trade between Poland and Uzbekistan. But, at the same time, one should pay attention to a positive trend of the recent times related to further diversification of both goods exports and imports.

A growing number of commodity groups and items appear in the Uzbek export to Poland. For example, in 2009 supply of products of plant growing, prepared foods, chemical products, fabricated metals and others increased. And there is a expanding range of products supplied by Polish manufacturers to the Uzbekistan’s market. About a half of the Polish exports are machinery, equipment, production lines, over 15% of chemical industry products. Construction materials supplies have increased.

Furthermore, the Polish counselor assured that the volume of mutual trade in the first months of 2010 was very encouraging and suggests the possibility of successfully overcoming the negative tendencies of the past year. According to preliminary data for the first quarter of 2010, a trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Poland exceeded USD 37 million, for a third higher than for the same period of 2009. The increase was mainly due to a growth in imports of Uzbek goods to Poland. If the Polish exports increased slightly by more than 7%, the imports from Uzbekistan have increased by more than 2.2 times. Mineral products, chemical products, cotton fiber and cotton-made products supplies to Poland have grown. Imports of finished food products, mineral products, chemical products, wood products and on its basis, a number of other products from Poland increased.

“Considering these trends, the Embassy continues to use opportunities of international trade fairs organized in Tashkent, to inform potential partners about capabilities of the Polish export. The representatives of Poland’s companies that participated in the Tashkent International Exhibition UzBUILD - Mebelexpo-2010, Worlfood-2010, TIHE established direct contacts with their Uzbek partners, familiar with the situation and working conditions in the market and engaged in a dialogue on ways and forms of mutually beneficial cooperation on a long term basis.

For its part, Poland invited representatives of Uzbekistan to one of the largest agricultural show in 2010 - the POLAGRO International Poznan Fair, which is traditionally held in September”, Slavomir Stshalkovsky said.

According to the counsel, a trip of representatives of business circles of Karakalpakstan to Poland, who visited a number of leading agricultural centers, research institutes working in the area of cultivation of various crops, was very productive and useful.

“In order to develop contacts between businessmen of two countries at the regional level, seminars were organized in Bukhoro, Nukus, for representatives of the Uzbek and Polish business community. The events have demonstrated a significant potential for developing of mutually beneficial bilateral economic ties, which exists in the small business and private entrepreneurship. Given this, the Embassy plans to continue working together to organize and conduct such meetings and seminars for entrepreneurs in other regions of Uzbekistan”, Slavomir Stshalkovsky concluded.