His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on the occasion of Uzbekistan's thirtieth independence day. This came during a phone call where Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the congratulations of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on this occasion and expressed wishes for further progress and prosperity for the friendly nation of Uzbekistan.
Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the exceptional relations between the two friendly nations, especially in the field of government development, as well as economic and investment levels between the two countries. The bilateral relations between the UAE and Uzbekistan are characterized by strength and robustness, with significant steps taken in recent times to support and enhance relations in government development. Cooperation has expanded to include various social and economic sectors, particularly in commercial and investment domains.
This partnership reflects the UAE's commitment to transferring its development experience in various fields to serve friendly peoples and governments, enhancing their ability to innovate new work models that meet future requirements. The partnership between the UAE and Uzbekistan covers 25 themes, 160 initiatives, in addition to organizing 125 workshops with the participation of over 250,000 Uzbek officials, government employees, and trainees, with the total hours of workshops and training amounting to approximately 2.5 million hours. The first cycle of government accelerators in Uzbekistan achieved significant success in designing solutions to challenges, involving 38 officials from 29 government entities.
During the first cycle of the Million Uzbek Programmer Initiative, about 500,000 trainees participated, contributing to enhancing the capacity of Uzbek youth in computer science and software. This strategic partnership reflects the success of the fruitful model of bilateral cooperation and the depth of relations between the two countries and their leaders, resulting in the establishment of a global model of governmental cooperation that benefits both friendly nations.
The relationship between the two countries has contributed to creating an appropriate climate for strengthening joint cooperation in various fields, allowing the UAE to become Uzbekistan's first Arab trade partner, accounting for more than 50% of its trade with Arab countries. At the same time, the non-oil foreign trade value between the two countries reached approximately 400 million USD (1.5 billion AED) during 2020. Mutual investments between the sides exceeded 3.8 billion USD, with 97% of it being Emirati investments in Uzbekistan, encompassing several vital sectors such as real estate, wholesale and retail trade, transportation, storage, and professional, scientific, and technical activities.
