Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The authorities of Uzbekistan confirmed their readiness for the republic’s membership in the Eurasian Development Bank. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Kuchkarov said this on the sidelines of the II Eurasian Congress. 

Nikolay Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Board, commented on the republic’s intention to join the bank.

Uzbekistan has applied for membership in the Eurasian Development Bank, said Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Kuchkarov at the plenary session of the II Eurasian Congress in Moscow. “We are also an observer in the EAEU. The government of the republic is carrying out a lot of preparatory work on joining the EAEU, "the Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister noted, the correspondent of Eurasia.Expert reported.

In turn, the chairman of the board of the EDB Nikolay Podguzov said that the coordination of Uzbekistan’s accession with the bank’s shareholders is already at an advanced stage. “For the first time since 2011, the EDB expects to expand at the expense of such a respected and powerful shareholder as Uzbekistan,” the head of the EDB emphasized.

Podguzov also welcomed that Tashkent "shares theses that correspond to the theme of the Eurasian Economic Union and fully correspond to the theme of the strategy of the Eurasian Development Bank." “If you become a member of the bank, it turns out that you have already approved our strategy. This means that we will begin to actively implement it in Uzbekistan. We are looking forward to your joining, ”he added.

At the end of 2020, Uzbekistan received the status of an observer country under the Eurasian Economic Union. Interest in further deepening integration was expressed both in Uzbekistan itself and among the members of the EAEU. In March 2021, the country’s parliament adopted a roadmap for developing cooperation with the Union. Later, the prospects and potential effects of such convergence were studied at the Eurasian Development Bank, by issuing a report.