Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury held a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev on Tuesday in Samarkand.
According to a message received on Wednesday, Khosru is visiting Samarkand to lead a Bangladeshi delegation in the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 3-6 May 2026.
In the meeting with the Uzbek DPM, the Ambassador of Bangladesh Mohammad Monirul Islam accompanied the finance minister.
The finance minister conveyed sincere thanks and appreciation to the Uzbek government, especially the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, for congratulating the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, on his assumption of the post of Prime Minister following the formation of the new government.
Highlighting the historical, cultural and religious linkages shared by the people of Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, he underlined the importance of working more closely in the prospective areas, especially in the spheres of trade, connectivity, employment, culture, tourism and people-to-people contact.
The finance minister urged the Uzbek DPM to positively consider establishing direct air connectivity between the two countries, including resuming Uzbek airways in the Dhaka-Tashkent sector.
He laid significance on opening an Uzbek diplomatic Mission in Bangladesh for further cementing and deepening bilateral collaboration.
He also requested greater market access for Bangladeshi export items like RMG, pharmaceuticals and jute products to Uzbekistan and sought support to facilitate visas for Bangladeshi business and tourism communities.
Underlining the necessity of the exchange of high-level political visits, he extended an invitation to the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to pay a visit to Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.
The Uzbek DPM expressed his country’s readiness to engage with Bangladesh more effectively to make the economic partnership dynamic and result-orientated.
He stressed the need for early conclusion of the bilateral instruments on trade, agriculture and tourism that have remained pending.
Appreciating Bangladesh’s advancement in the textile and pharmaceutical sectors, he assured the Bangladesh finance minister that he would send a business delegation to Bangladesh to explore business and investment opportunities at the earliest.
