The President of Siemens in Russia and Central Asia Alexander Liberov visited Uzbekistan. During the visit, he held a number of meetings with the company’s partners in the field of industrial production, transport and electrical engineering.
One of the key goals of the visit is to discuss the implementation of the strategic agreements signed earlier between Siemens and Uzbekistan.
Following the visit, Alexander Liberov gave an interview and shared his opinion on the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Siemens.
– Please tell us about the purposes of your visit? What are your expectations from the visit?
– Uzbekistan is a very important strategic partner for Siemens, and we are in constant dialogue with the government of the country and with its leading companies. This visit was a continuation of previous meetings, and its main goal is to discuss key points related to the further development of cooperation. Earlier we signed a number of important agreements, which are being consistently implemented. During this time, we also have new partners, which opens up even more prospects for productive joint work. Therefore, the program of business meetings was rich: negotiations were held both with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and with the leadership of Uzbek companies. This productive dialogue has allowed us to identify new anchor points for cooperation.
So, we had a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov. We discussed the prospects for long-term cooperation, the localization of low and medium voltage equipment on the basis of the JSC “Uzelektroapparat-Electroshield”, as well as plans for the development of railway infrastructure in partnership with JSC “Uzbekiston Temir Yullari”.
We also prioritize the development of railway infrastructure – innovations open up many opportunities for Uzbekistan in this direction, and they were discussed at meetings with the head of Uzbekiston Temir Yullari JSC Khusnutdin Khasilov and with the General Director of Trans Engineering Group (TEG) Sergey Orlov.
Another important event was the meeting with the Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Khurram Teshabaev. Issues of localization of production, development of railway infrastructure, as well as the possibility of investing in training centers and projects for advanced training on the basis of the Uzeltekhsanoat association were discussed.
– How long has Siemens been cooperating with Uzbekistan? In what directions?
– Siemens has been present in Uzbekistan for a long time, but in recent years, cooperation has been developing especially productively. Serious positive changes are taking place in the country – the liberalization of the economy continues, the protection of entrepreneurship is enhanced, the credit and banking system is being modernized. Uzbekistan seeks to strengthen external relations, and all this is a very positive signal for business – both for Uzbek enterprises and for external partners, including potential ones. This favorable economic situation made it possible to start a qualitatively new stage of cooperation in November 2017, when the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan paid a visit to the Siemens headquarters. Then several strategic agreements on technological partnership were signed on technological partnership in the field of the fuel and energy complex, “smart cities” (digitalization of urban infrastructure), the development of wind energy and healthcare, etc. Now our relations with Uzbekistan continue to develop.
– What about the localization of production? Are there any plans to expand it?
– We strive to develop localization of production in all regions of our presence, and Uzbekistan is no exception. We discussed the localization of Siemens electrical equipment production in Uzbekistan jointly with Uzelektroapparat-Electroshield – for this we have the necessary solutions. We are also ready to offer our partners new portfolio elements for the local market: infrastructure solutions for charging electric vehicles and electric buses, solar inverters, smart grids, etc.
In partnership with the Uzeltekhsanoat Association, we are working out a strategic plan for the development of new industries in Uzbekistan, as well as for the development of competencies and training in the field of innovative digital technologies. Siemens is ready to support the Association’s plan to create a digital education center.
I would also like to note that our company also offers a strategic approach to the development of metallurgy and mining industry based on global advanced technologies in cooperation with the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.
– What projects are you developing on the territory of the country?
– We are developing a lot of projects on the territory of Uzbekistan. First of all, I would like to mention the special program “Initiative for Uzbekistan” developed by Siemens. It has been implemented since 2017 – within the framework of this program, our specialists come to Tashkent and other cities of the country and acquaint current and potential partners of the company with advanced developments, solutions, international experience in the field of digitalization, and so on.
In general, in Uzbekistan, we are focusing on several areas. First of all, this is the development of a roadmap for digital transformation – this is cross-sectoral work that will outline the ways for digitalization of different sectors and the economy as a whole. Secondly, the priority area for us is the localization of electrical equipment, here we work closely with enterprises in Uzbekistan, I have already mentioned a joint project with the Uzelektroapparat-Electroshield enterprise. Thirdly, we are making efforts to develop the mining and metallurgical sector and, finally, an equally important area is education and training of personnel of local enterprises in Uzbekistan, since the availability of competent, qualified specialists is a prerequisite for the digitalization of any industry.
– Do you plan to open new areas of cooperation? If so, which ones?
– Uzbekistan is a promising market for us, where we work in many areas. Above, I have already listed the main ones, but it is also worth paying attention to the development of railway technologies. This includes modern trains and infrastructure automation. Siemens is a leader in innovation in the railway industry. We offer the most advanced modern solutions for the modernization of railway infrastructure. During the visit, as already mentioned, a number of issues related to the introduction of the latest solutions in the field of digitalization and automation on the railway were discussed.
In addition, the focus is on sustainable development and ESG issues. The Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan understands its importance and strives to implement the principles of sustainable development in all sectors. And here we have a wealth of experience that we are ready to share – in particular, we presented examples of the global implementation of such projects implemented by Siemens.
– How do you assess Uzbekistan in terms of the pace and prospects of digitalization?
– Economic development in Uzbekistan is now proceeding at a very high pace, and this is also true with regard to digitalization. It is facilitated by the favorable internal changes mentioned above. In addition, the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan has set very ambitious goals to increase the specific level of GDP by 2030 to the level of developed countries. Observing the positive changes that are taking place in the country, I can say that it is quite possible to achieve this goal. However, this will require serious investments in infrastructure, energy, training of qualified specialists, and so on. In addition, the experience of the leaders of digitalization is very important for the implementation of these plans, and in this respect, Siemens is always open for cooperation and dialogue. A few years ago, we began to acquaint our Uzbek partners with advanced digital solutions and intend to continue this work. It is very important for us to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan, continue to develop various projects here and help with our knowledge, experience and technologies in the implementation of the ambitious goals that the country and its advanced enterprises face. We see very broad opportunities for this work and hope that we will be able to make a significant contribution to the modernization of the economy of Uzbekistan and the development of the country.
