AUCC hosts a videoconference between Washington DC and Tashkent on Doing Business with the United St

The American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce (AUCC) in cooperation with WCC international, hosted a live video conference with participation of Hon. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States and Angela Tierney and Elshan Baloghlanov of WCC International, a member company of AUCC. The video session was organized in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan (CCI) headquartered in Tashkent.

The event was attended by member companies of organizing associations, officials of U.S. and Uzbekistan governments, media representatives as well as experts in industry and trade from both countries.

In her welcoming speech, Executive Director of AUCC, Elena Son, greeted the guests and informed them about upcoming U.S. Trade Mission to Uzbekistan. Ms. Son underlined the high trade potential and cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan as well as recent reforms being undertaken by the leadership of Uzbekistan.

H.E Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States stressed the importance of the event in the context of a strong strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and the United States. Ambassador emphasized Development and Liberalization of the economy - aimed at strengthening macroeconomic stability and maintaining high economic growth rates. He spoke about investment opportunities in Uzbekistan as well as trade and export potential between the two countries, especially in the energy, tourism and agriculture sectors. To this effect, President Mirziyoyev has declared 2018 the year of Active Support for Entrepreneurship, Innovative Ideas and Technologies.

Angela Tierney, communications specialist and business development director of WCC International highlighted bilateral trade statistics, including exports from the United States and imports from Uzbekistan. Ms. Tierney shared a few success stories of exports of innovative U.S. goods and services in the energy, transportation and agriculture realm. “While the U.S. is known for high quality, innovative goods and services around the world, the rich culture, fertile lands and abundant natural resources allow Uzbekistan to export high-quality products globally, including the United States.” said Angela Tierney. She also highlighted the shared aims between the two countries under the five year Strategy of Action Plan for further development of political and economic reforms in Uzbekistan.

Presenters briefly spoke about how Uzbek entrepreneurs can obtain access to global e-commerce platforms like Alibaba, Amazon, E-Bay, and Etsy, especially via merchant account services of WCC International, where businesses can start selling their products and services to customers anywhere around the world.

Elshan Baloghlanov, international trade specialist and executive director of WCC International conveyed the benefits and advantages of having a U.S. business partner with access to industry-specific knowledge, merchant and payment processing services, B2B and B2C e-commerce platforms. He highlighted investment capital and business assurance programs offered by U.S. government agencies and private companies.

“Prior to shipping a product into a foreign market you should be mindful customer needs and preferences, market conditions, as well as cultural, social and regulatory factors of a foreign marketplace. Businesses must meet compliance needs, including company and product registration, proper labeling and packaging, and in some instances product certification, whether mandatory or voluntary”, he added.

Presenters shared their work experience with companies from the region, including helping foreign businesses to effectively communicate and build business ties with suppliers, service providers and customers in the United States.

The video conference concluded with active Q&A session with participants attending both in-person and online from Washington DC, Chicago and New York cities of the United States as well as Fergana and Tashkent cities of Uzbekistan.

Presentation slides: Doing Business with the United States: Opportunities for Uzbekistan