Premier: Uzbek President Ready to Provide Land to Slovak Entrepreneurs

Tashkent, 9 June (TASR-correspondent) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is ready to provide Slovak companies with land if they are interested in running business in this country on a 50/50 basis, so that it would be mutually beneficial for both sides, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated at the Uzbek-Slovak business forum in Tashkent, adding that companies operating in Slovakia in the automotive industry can also find a huge space for cooperation here. "I'm very glad that a representative of Slovak company Matador was here and signed relevant agreements. Then there is the area of water management. Uzbekistan is interested in our services in terms of dam management, in terms of various forecasts of drought, storm water, perhaps even avalanches," the premier further stated. According to him, during the negotiations, significant attention was also paid to the energy sector. Fico said that Uzbekistan is planning to embark on the construction of a nuclear power plant. "And since we have five functional reactors in Slovakia and are finishing the sixth one, Slovakia with its expertise can be a welcome partner for Uzbekistan," he noted. Fico pointed out that a large part of the conversation with the Uzbek president was devoted to the arms industry. "We are both of the opinion that if defence spending is to be increased, it cannot end up with us increasing defence spending at the expense of other areas and then buying weapons in the United States or Israel. Our duty is to produce as much as possible at home," stressed the Slovak prime minister. am