On 30 January 2019, the Embassy of Uzbekistan to the United States in the format of a videoconference organized negotiations between the leadership of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on geology and mineral resources and senior representatives of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan said in a statement.

The US side was represented by Ingrid Verstreten, Senior Scientific Advisor for Relations with Europe, Central Asia, the Arctic and Russia, Tom Krafford and Walter Guidroz, Mineral and Energy Resources Program Coordinators, and Ellen Connorthon, Senior Scientific Advisor to the Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs.

USGS is a government research and development structure, specializing in the study of natural resources and forecasting and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters in the United States with an emphasis on such disciplines as biology, geography, geology and hydrology.

The video conference was held within the framework of the implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to Uzbekistan in October 2018.

The sides thoroughly exchanged views on building up mutually beneficial cooperation in areas defined by the Uzbek-US intergovernmental Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation of 2012.

In particular, the State Committee on Geology and the USGS discussed prospects for cooperation in the areas of geological exploration of the subsoil, primarily through the exchange of experience and knowledge in this area, the fulfillment of tasks for the increase in reserves of hydro-mineral resources, and the organization of joint scientific research.

According to the Embassy of Uzbekistan, following the talks, the parties agreed to organize a visit of the USGS delegation from 4 to 7 February to Tashkent to hold targeted meetings with relevant ministries and departments of the republic and develop practical measures for the further development of bilateral research cooperation. The parties discussed the provisional agenda and the program of the upcoming visit.

UzDaily.com