Uzbekistan keen on FTA with India

Hinduonnet October 31 Uzbekistan on Saturday said it would discuss signing a free trade agreement and easing visa norms with India early next year at the India-Uzbek summit in Tashkent. "We will discuss the free trade agreement and liberalising the visa regime between the two countries early next year at the India-Uzbek summit," said visiting Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Minister, Sodyq Safaev. He said he had discussed the issue of liberalising visa norms with his Indian counterpart, K Natwar Singh, on Friday. "But only next year, we will try to resolve the issue," he said at a function organised by CII here. Uzbekistan will also ask its embassy in New Delhi to provide excellent and efficient visa clearance services to Indian diplomats and businessmen. He said his country has also sought permission to fly additional flights between Tashkent and Ahmedabad. "At present, we have two flights between Tashkent and Amritsar," he added. The visiting Minister has also invited Indian expertise in privatisation to open up its healthcare and banking sector. "Uzbekistan is keen to study India's experience and expertise in privatisation of and investment into large enterprises and banks with the direct participation of Indian experts," he said. He also invited Indian companies to invest in a number of sectors including oil and gas, food and agricultural processing, textiles, aircraft construction and maintenance, building of machinery, production of construction materials, chemical industry, information technology and pharmaceuticals.