During 4 - 7 April 2016, Mr. Kriangsak Kittchaisaree, Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan (with residence in Moscow), together with Mrs. Kalayanee Sirikul, Minister (Commercial Affairs), as well as officials of the Royal Thai Embassy in Moscow, went to Tashkent. The delegation met with the key Uzbek authorities, namely (1) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan: Mr. Abdulaziz Kalimov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Gayrat Fazilov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Aziz Masutov, Director of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Department. Both sides discussed the current status of the bilateral agreements, political and economic relations, as well as cooperation in international organizations; (2) Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan: the issues discussed with Alisher Shaykhov, Chairman of CCI, included opportunities and challenges in investment in Uzbekistan; (3) Royal Thai Honorary Consulate in Uzbekistan: the issues discussed with Mr. Zafar Ergashev, Thai Honorary Consul, included a concrete plan to enhance people-to-people contact such as promotion of Thai restaurants, Thai spas, Thai cultural performances in Tashkent. In this regard, Mr. Ergashev led the delegation to the construction site of the Thai Cultural Center, which is scheduled to be completed this October.  

            Last year, 15,138 Uzbek tourists visited Thailand. In addition, the Thai Trade Center in Moscow sees the potentials of bilateral trade in cotton, gold, minerals and oil. At present, the Republic of Uzbekistan is undergoing privatization in many sectors, such as chemicals, banking and insurance, and construction. This, along with the tax reduction policy for small enterprises, offers a good opportunity for Thai investors to enter the Uzbek markets.