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Uzbekistan is open to the world and is interested in achieving balanced external relations with all countries, including the closest neighbors, the EU, U.S. and other states. Relations between Uzbekistan and Germany are becoming more and more progressive, as evidenced by the political dialogue at the highest level, and active partner economic ties, and close cultural and humanitarian exchange.
The correspondent of our magazine talked with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Federal Republic of Germany Nabijon KASIMOV about how cooperation is currently being carried out and what the prospects for its development are.
— Nabijon Sadikjanovich, this year Uzbekistan will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its independence. Germany was among the first to recognize the Republic of Uzbekistan as an independent state. What can you say about the history of development of Uzbek-German cooperation?
— It should be noted that friendly Uzbek-German relations are rooted in the distant past. So, one of the earliest, among the surviving references to the relationship between our peoples, are the memoirs of a German traveler, a native of the Bavarian Trostberg Johannes Schiltberger, dating back to the beginning of the 15th century. By the will of fate in the period 1402-1412 he spent more than 10 years around Amir Temur and his sons Miranshah and Shakhrukh. Returning to Bavaria, he served as chamberlain for the Bavarian Duke Albrecht III. Thanks to the memoirs of Schiltberger, which were repeatedly reprinted in various languages, historians learned a lot about Amir Temur and the Temurid empire.
Back in the late 18th — early 19th centuries, the great German poet and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe glorified the Temurid state, the ancient oasis cities of Samarkand and Bukhara in his poems and works.
And already in the middle of the 19th century, the first German settlers appeared on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, and their contribution to the formation of the economy, culture, and social life of our region is of particular importance. Currently, about 8 thousand Germans live in Uzbekistan, who, being equal citizens of our country, preserve their national traditions and culture, maintain ties with their historical homeland.
German language is especially popular in our country, which is the second most popular foreign language studied in the republic. Today, more than 400 thousand young Uzbeks study German in schools and other educational institutions. It is noteworthy that, according to the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service, in terms of the number of learners of the German language, Uzbekistan ranks first among Asian countries, ahead of even such countries as China and India with their almost one and a half billion population. In Tashkent and several other cities, there are schools specialized in in-depth study of the German language, which are named after great German writers and poets. The Goethe Institute is actively operating in our country and the number of private language centers where German is taught is growing every day.
In general, Uzbekistan’s relations with Germany are traditionally advanced and multifaceted, covering a wide range of areas of cooperation. To date, all the necessary cooperation coordination mechanisms have been created and are successfully operating in relations between our countries, a solid legal base has been developed, and a regular political dialogue is being maintained. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on March 6, 1992, Uzbekistan and the FRG have been closely cooperating within the framework of international structures on global and regional issues.
An effective exchange has been established in the spheres of culture and education, joint projects are being implemented within the framework of established partnerships between Tashkent and Berlin, Bukhara and Bonn.
All these facts indicate that relations between our countries and peoples are built not only on certain political or economic interests, but have a deep history and broad social basis.
— Nabijon Sadikzhanovich, can you please assess how our bilateral relations are developing now?
— Since the beginning of the reform policy of our President Sh.M. Mirziyoyev, we are witnessing a new, unprecedented in scale revival of Uzbek-German cooperation. 2019 was especially noteworthy in this regard, when, after an 18-year hiatus, the Head of the State made an official visit to Germany. It is noteworthy that a couple of months later in the same year, Federal President of Germany F.-W. Steinmeier paid a return visit to Uzbekistan. These mutual visits have opened a new chapter in bilateral relations, giving a powerful impetus to the development of cooperation in various fields.
As you know, personal contacts of leaders are always important; they are a kind of indicator of the state of relationships. In this context, the online talks held on March 12, 2021 between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel can be considered as confirmation of the established mutual understanding and the logical continuation of consistent development of bilateral cooperation.
It is important to note that the current level of interaction between our country and Germany, which is one of the largest economies in the world and plays a leading role in world politics, is largely due to the recognition and support by official Berlin of the large-scale reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan, the new foreign policy of our country.
Germany actively supports “New Uzbekistan” and the large-scale reforms being carried out in the country, highly appreciating the efforts of our republic to strengthen stability in the Central Asian region, promote the peace process in Afghanistan, and mitigate the consequences of the Aral Sea disaster.
A clear confirmation of official Berlin’s support for the new course of our country is the fact that, in accordance with the new “Strategy 2030” of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, Uzbekistan has been selected as the only partner country among the Central Asian countries in the framework of international development assistance programs.
According to experts, Uzbekistan is gradually becoming one of the main partners of Germany in the CIS region. Bilateral cooperation in the economic sphere is noticeably intensifying, inter-parliamentary contacts are strengthening, interaction of ministries and agencies, public organizations is intensifying, and cooperation at the regional level is deepening.
It is also indicative that if in previous years political consultations between the foreign ministries of our countries were held once every two to three years, then since 2016 they have become annual. After a 20-year hiatus, the regular activities of the Uzbek-German Mixed Commission for Cultural Cooperation have resumed.
Along with regular consultations at the level of the governments of the two countries in the field of trade and investment, financial and technical cooperation, new sectoral mechanisms of interaction have appeared, such as Intergovernmental Commissions in Agriculture and Road Transportation. The German-Uzbek Business Council, created on the initiative of the business circles of the two countries, has significantly intensified and expanded its ranks.
We note with great satisfaction the unprecedented expansion of cooperation in the field of higher education. To date, Uzbek universities have established partnerships with more than 30 universities in Germany. In the last 4 years, 6 joint training programs have been launched, joint programs have been organized in a number of disciplines. Student and faculty exchange has significantly increased. Currently about 1,000 students from our country are studying in Germany. Recently, Uzbeks have discovered another opportunity to study in Germany — vocational education on a dual basis, which involves classroom teaching with apprenticeship in companies.
The number of German experts providing consultancy services to various Uzbek enterprises and institutions through the German Society of Senior Experts SES has increased significantly. Since 2019, a representative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been working on a long-term basis as a high-ranking advisor to the Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan.
Of course, one cannot fail to mention tourism. Although the industry is currently going through difficult times due to the outbreak of the pandemic, Uzbekistan, with its rich cultural and historical heritage, continues to be a desirable destination for German tourists. So, after the abolition of the visa regime for German citizens in 2019, the number of tourists from Germany visiting our country increased by 52%. I am sure that as the quarantine restrictions are lifted, the flow of tourists from Germany to Uzbekistan will increase again.
— Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the world economy is on the verge of stagnation, activity has decreased, and the activities of many enterprises have been suspended. How did all this affect the indicators of trade and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany?
— It is no secret that the coronavirus has become a serious test for the humanity. The pandemic had a negative impact on the world economy, led to a sharp decline in the rate of its development. This is partly reflected in the cooperation of our countries. At the same time, this did not prevent us not only from maintaining the dynamics of mutual trade, but also from increasing the volume of Uzbek exports.
According to statistics, although the volume of bilateral trade decreased by the end of the 2020 coronavirus crisis, the export of Uzbek goods to Germany, on the contrary, increased by 13.3%. At the same time, it is important to note that the very structure of our export deliveries to Germany is changing significantly. If in previous years it was mainly raw materials supplied there, now finished goods have a significant share. For example, while earlier Uzbek textiles were presented in Germany mainly by semi-finished products, now our factories are getting orders from the world-famous German brands, including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and others. Their goods are being sold in prestigious retail chains throughout Europe.
In this context, I would also like to note with gratitude Germany’s support in Uzbekistan’s achievement of the status of the “Generalized System of Preferences” beneficiary of the “GSP +” regime of the EU. This status allows our country to double the number of commodity items supplied duty-free to the European market, bringing them to 6200.
Starting this year, our country has been included in the Import Promotion Desk — IPD project to promote imports to Germany, and in the fall it is planned to start a joint project aimed at reforming the national infrastructure for product certification in order to increase the export potential of Uzbek enterprises. These support mechanisms create new opportunities for increasing the volume of Uzbek exports of products to Germany.
I would especially like to emphasize that even in the most acute period of the coronavirus crisis, German business showed an increased interest in investment cooperation with Uzbekistan. This is evidenced by the fact that last year Germany became one of the leaders among investors in the economy of Uzbekistan — its share amounted to about 14% of the total volume of utilized foreign investments. A noteworthy fact: if for the entire period of bilateral cooperation from 1991 to 2016 the total volume of German investments in the economy of Uzbekistan amounted to about $ 700 million, then approximately the same amount of funds (more than $ 710 million) was invested by German companies in our country only in one 2020. In total, the investment portfolio of German companies in Uzbekistan currently includes 112 projects totaling over $ 6 billion.
The physical presence of German business in our country is also expanding: for example, if as of 2016, 120 enterprises with participation of investors from Germany were operating in Uzbekistan, then over the past 4-5 years their number has already approached 200. Even during the difficult period of the global pandemic such world-famous German companies as Volkswagen, Viessmann, Papenburg entered the Uzbek market, and Siemens and Bosch also returned after a long break.
The growing interest of German business in Uzbekistan is also manifested in the decision to open offices of the German Development Bank KfW, the Representative Office of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Federal Association of Small and Medium Businesses in Tashkent in 2020. In recent years, German banks have also begun to actively finance projects in Uzbekistan. In particular, with the use of credit lines of German banks in our country, 20 projects are currently being implemented for a total of 1.85 billion euros.
— Development cooperation is of great importance in the interaction between Germany and Uzbekistan. As you noted, Uzbekistan remains the only partner country of Germany in the Central Asian region. In which sectors/areas is cooperation with Germany developing in this direction?
Answering this question, for a start I will give the following figures: the volume of financing of projects in Uzbekistan through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany has increased more than 12 times over the past couple of years, i.e. if in 2016-2017 12.3 million euros were allocated, then in 2019-2020 — 146.28 million euros.
At the same time, the assistance provided by the German Government is directly aimed at supporting the ongoing reform process in our country, improving living conditions and health of the population.
In particular, under the allocated grants and concessional loans of the Government of Germany, at present, Uzbekistan has begun the implementation of such landmark projects as “Support for Digital Reforms in the Healthcare Sector”, “Improving Medical Services in the Aral Sea Region”, “Supporting Economic Reforms and Sustainable Economic Development in the Regions of Uzbekistan”, “Modernization of Medical Education and Training Programs”, “Support for Vocational Education”, “Support for the Healthcare System in the Fight Against COVID-19” and others.
In addition, Uzbekistan participates in several cross-border regional projects funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, namely in the field of promoting legal statehood, expanding cross-border trade, sustainable use of natural resources, etc., which are designed to strengthen cooperation between Central Asian countries.
— Please tell us what has changed in the activities of the diplomatic mission headed by you during of the coronavirus pandemic and what efforts are being made to represent the interests of Uzbekistan in Germany under quarantine conditions?
— The pandemic had its negative impact on the whole world, including Germany: starting from mid-March 2020, a tough “lockdown” was introduced on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, in connection with which many bilateral events were canceled, for some time there was no direct transport connection, personal contacts are prohibited and severely limited.
However, we quickly adapted to the new realities: we began to actively use the possibilities of remote communication. This allowed us not only to simplify the process of establishing interaction with relevant partners, but also to significantly reduce the previously seemed inevitable costs: travel expenses and associated time costs.
Now we hold at least 5-6 virtual meetings a day, not counting the usual telephone conversations at the working level. Even intergovernmental negotiations and political consultations are held online — previously it was almost impossible to imagine such a thing.
In total, in 2020, together with German partners, we organized more than 400 different events, online conferences, B2B negotiations, “virtual visits”, webinars and seminars. Gradually, quantity turns into quality, we are pleased to note the beginning of the practical implementation of many agreements reached during such online events.
But, of course, online interaction cannot completely replace “live” meetings and negotiations, so we are pleased with the observed restoration of traditional communication as quarantine restrictions ease.
— If you allow me, finally, I have two quick questions. What are the most important areas of your work in Germany? What are the features and the key to success of the country where you work?
— The main direction of my agenda is strengthening and deepening relations between our countries in all areas. There are prospects almost everywhere. At the same time, the main priority for us, of course, is economic diplomacy. We are interested in attracting German investments, advanced technologies and know-how, and are also purposefully working to promote the export of Uzbek goods to the German market, increasing the number of German tourists visiting our country.
Germany is one of the leading powers in the world with a huge economic, scientific and technological potential, an effective system of public administration and a strong civil society. At the same time, the key to the success of the country is primarily its citizens, because it is well known that the majority of Germans are very hardworking, practical and law-abiding, have an active civil position.
– Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
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