To sustain economic growth and protect against external shocks, the government of Uzbekistan is advised to safeguard macro-financial stability and continue structural reforms, IMF mission said after a visit to the country.
Uzbekistan’s government should further improve the business environment, continue anticorruption efforts, and put into force asset declaration and conflict of interest laws. These are some of the recommendations by the IMF mission that visited Tashkent recently.
The IMF says that the economies of Central Asia and the Caucasus were resilient and grew in 2022 despite various shocks, but the growth is expected to slow in 2023, and the region’s outlook is strongly influenced by external factors.
The Caucasus and Central Asia have weathered the pandemic crisis well. The initial spillovers from war in Ukraine have so far been contained. Still, uncertain outlook and challenges ahead call for audacious measures, writes Jihad Azour, IMF’s Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department.
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