Vice-President of the World Bank (WB) for Europe and Central Asia Philippe Le Houerou paid a four-day visit to Uzbekistan.

During his stay in Tashkent, he met with the leadership of the Ministries of Finance and Economy, and where he discussed key issues. This visit was the first since the adoption a new strategy of partnership with Uzbekistan in December 2011. the Partnership Program reflects the priorities of reforms the government of Uzbekistan and largely consistent with the three strategic thrusts of the World Bank\'s Europe and Central Asia - competitiveness, social inclusion and climate change. The strategy provides funding for development programs for the next four years to $1.3b.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of cooperation between the World Bank and the Republic of Uzbekistan. As noted by P.Le Houerou, WB appreciates the Uzbekistan’s strategic goal - to achieve by mid-century - a level industrialized country. \"Uzbekistan has already achieved strong economic performance, but more needs to be done\", - he added.

During the visit P.Le Houerou visited a WB-funded project of reconstruction of drainage and irrigation infrastructure and restoration of wetlands in South Karakalpakstan. This project has contributed to a decrease in groundwater level, which led to a decrease in salinity of the irrigated lands, has improved water quality of the river Amudaryo and the reduction of energy consumption in connection with the closing of the pumping station.

Concluding his visit to Uzbekistan, P.Le Houerou said: \"I was very pleased to see the achievements of the country. The World Bank stands ready to support an impressive program of reforming of the Government, providing not only financial resources, but also technical expertise and international experience\".

To recall, the Republic of Uzbekistan joined the World Bank in 1992. As of May 2012 the total amount of active World Bank commitments to Uzbekistan within 10 projects is about $633m. (Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)