Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of enterprises from the leather and footwear industry of Uzbekstan pays a visit to Türkiye. The visit is full of fruitful meetings and negotiations. The delegation visited Konya.

Konya is the second largest producer of leather and footwear products in Turkey. More than 500 enterprises operate in this region. 50 million pairs of shoes are produced here every year. Products are exported to more than 100 countries.

A business forum was held at the Konya Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the participation of the Uzcharmsanoat Association, Chambers of Commerce and Industry and leather industry enterprises of the two countries. 

At the meeting, the further development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey in this area, the implementation of joint investment projects, and issues of increasing exports and imports were discussed. 

Representatives of the Uzcharmsanoat association presented Turkish enterprises with the opportunities provided by the state and government of Uzbekistan in support of the leather and footwear industry, its production, investment and export potential. Information was also presented on new investment projects prepared by the Association. 

At the end of the forum, a tripartite memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Uzcharmsanoat Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and the Konya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

As part of the forum, B2B meetings were also held with the participation of enterprises from the two countries. Our domestic entrepreneurs discussed further prospects for cooperation with Turkish companies in their areas. In particular, the Turkish company Emrah Baran expressed an initiative to implement a new investment project in Uzbekistan. In this regard, company representatives will visit our country in March to familiarize themselves with the conditions of doing business and establish cooperation.

Also, Uzbek enterprises held negotiations with companies such as Hasan Uzman, Wanetti, Voyager and Dikbaş Ayakkabiçilik on various areas of cooperation. The heads of these companies expressed interest in visiting Uzbekistan and exploring the potential for cooperation.

A delegation of our businessmen also visited the shoemaking town of Konya and got acquainted with the activities of several enterprises in the industrial zone. In particular, she visited the center for the production of shoe soles and studied the processes of manufacturing and modeling shoe soles.

Here the delegation of Uzbekistan got acquainted with the education system in the leather and footwear industry of Konya. The delegates studied the experience of their partners and held negotiations. It is planned to use the capabilities of this center in training leading designers, constructors, engineers, technologists and other qualified specialists for enterprises in the leather and footwear industry of Uzbekistan. That is, first of all, experienced craftsmen will be sent from Uzbekistan to train in modern shoe manufacturing technologies in the industrial zone of Konya, and after that they will share their experience with other employees of their enterprises.

The meetings in the industrial zone created the basis for expanding bilateral cooperation. In particular, the Uzbek enterprise KFK reached a preliminary agreement on the implementation of a new investment project together with the Turkish Nevzat Taba. This project involves the launch of the production of shoe soles. The conditions created for foreign investors in our country, the raw material base, and the presence of a large sales market aroused great interest among the Turkish businessman. In February of this year, the Turkish company decided to come to Uzbekistan and sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Andijan enterprise.

Members of the delegation also exchanged experience working in showrooms and production facilities of shoe brands located in Konya. They got acquainted with new trends and technologies in the field. During the negotiations, issues of expanding mutual trade and economic ties were discussed.