MUSCAT : His Excellency Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), held discussions with His Excellency Sahib Sevinzarov, Head of the Department of Special Economic Zones at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, and his accompanying delegation during their visit to Oman.

The meeting focused on strengthening economic and investment cooperation, encouraging production and export-oriented projects, and sharing expertise in the development and management of economic zones.

Building on previous discussions, both sides explored the preparation of a joint roadmap outlining cooperation priorities, implementation strategies and follow-up mechanisms. They also considered establishing a joint working group to advance proposed initiatives.

A key focus was attracting Uzbek companies to invest in manufacturing, production and logistics projects within OPAZ-supervised zones, while opening opportunities for Omani investors in Uzbekistan’s economic and industrial zones.

Potential investment sectors include industry, agriculture, food processing, chemicals, mining, building materials and logistics.

The two sides also discussed establishing trade, distribution and logistics centres for Uzbek products in Oman, linked to logistics hubs in Uzbekistan, to strengthen bilateral trade and improve access to regional and international markets.

Discussions further covered direct cooperation between economic zones in both countries, simplifying investment procedures, improving one-stop-shop services and strengthening institutional capabilities through training programmes, technical visits and expert exchanges.

Officials also reviewed a draft memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing a mutually agreed framework for future cooperation.

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