Q: Uzbekistan is undertaking a number of reforms to open up the country. These changes include steps to improve business conditions. What form will these changes take?
A: In Uzbekistan, we are actively moving to expand the private sector and increase foreign direct investment. Under the previous government model, it was difficult. The government would control the access to foreign currency and allocate state funds to strategic entities, which were de facto state monopolies crowding out the private sector. This needed to be changed.
