All eyes on Central Asia and Uzbekistan!

10 November 2022

A large delegation of Finnish companies visited Uzbekistan on a trip in October-November organized by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnpartnership, Uzbekistan’s honorary consul in Finland, Nordic International University, and Finland’s honorary consul in Kyrgyzstan. The Finnish delegation had a total of 19 companies and 32 participants. The trip included visits to Tashkent and Samarkand. Participants were mostly from the construction, water, manufacturing, and services sectors. Support services for Finnish companies expanding to Central Asia were also represented by Finnish Water Forum, Miksei Mikkeli and EastCham (former Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce). Finnish company participants were pleased with the contacts they were able to find during the trip. Tap on link for a news video on the Business Forum.

Uzbekistan offers and interesting market and a clear alternative for eg. companies formerly engaged in the Russian market. The country has successfully promoted the forming of an open and free market economy over the last five years. Finnpartnership also has good local contacts available for Finnish companies in Uzbekistan. Finnish know-how is also highly valued in the country, and several projects with a Finnish background have already been launched in recent years (read more). Finnpartnership’s Business Partnership Support grant funding for establishing local business partnerships covers 70% of expenses for SMEs and 50% for large enterprises.

Uzbekistan has also reformed its traditional silk manufacturing traditions and made them more ethically sustainable. Silk fibre and its by-products along with traditional handicrafts skills provide interesting opportunities for companies in the design and textiles sectors. Uzbekistan’s Ministry for Silk can facilitate visits and accommodation for companies interested in purchasing or manufacturing silk or design products in the country. For more information regardinwg this, contact: julian.blom@finnpartnership.fi.

The next issue of the newsletter will include more updates on the delegation trip and business opportunities in Uzbekistan.