Press Release

OFID Director-General heads high-level delegation to Uzbekistan
Holds talks with high-level officials

35/2008 November 25, 2008 Vienna, Austria
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On November 23, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), concluded a three day-long mission to Uzbekistan. He met and discussed ongoing OFID projects in the country, as well as the strengthening of areas for potential cooperation. The seven-person delegation, which was headed by Mr. Al-Herbish, included Mr. Said Aissi, the Assistant Director-General of Operations, and several senior members of staff.

Throughout the mission, the government officials expressed their appreciation for OFID’s support and looked forward to cementing the relationship further. On the second day of the mission, Mr. Al-Herbish and senior staff met with Mr. R. Azimov, the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. Mr. Azimov expressed his pleasure with the excellent working relations between OFID and Uzbekistan, and thanked the Director-General for OFID’s dedicated support since they became partners in development eight years earlier. Mr. Azimov also spoke of OFID’s co-financing of a US$5 million loan to construct 20 secondary schools across the country. The Minister said “our biggest richness is not in our resources, but our new generation and the way we educate our people. This will provide a strong basis of growth for Uzbekistan.”

Mr. Al-Herbish thanked Mr. Azimov for his comments and noted the common concerns and vision shared between OFID and Uzbekistan. The Director-General stressed that this “unique relationship” was further reinforced with the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding last year. The Agreement, he noted, would “enhance their efficiency” and help “harmonize their approaches” to identifying priority sectors of the country’s choice.

Other public sector loans extended by OFID to Uzbekistan include US$12 million to co-finance construction of a pumping station that makes up part of the Amu-Bakhara irrigation system, one of the most important water management complexes in Uzbekistan. OFID also provided US$5 million to help fund rehabilitation of the final 80 km of the 661-km main railway trunk line between Dzhizak and Samarkand. In addition, OFID has approved five loans in support of the country’s private sector, and has provided several regional grants.

In addition to Tashkent, the OFID delegation visited Samarkand and Bukhara, where they met the governors of each of these regions to discuss further avenues of cooperation.