Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On the sidelines of the UN Public Service Forum taking place in Samarkand, Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan Sherzod Shermatov met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Uzbekistan, Aurélia Bouchez.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a range of issues related to digital technologies, digitization, artificial intelligence, IT outsourcing, public service transformation, and the implementation of digital solutions.

The minister provided a detailed overview of the reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan aimed at building a digital state and a digital economy. He emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors and expanding access to digital services.

In response, Ambassador Bouchez spoke about the digitization processes underway in France, the digital service culture, and France’s advanced experience in this field. She expressed readiness to cooperate closely with Uzbekistan in the aforementioned areas.

The discussion also covered the development potential of IT outsourcing, support for Uzbek IT companies entering European markets with the assistance of the French Embassy, and the export of IT services to other countries.

Special attention was paid to cybersecurity. The minister underscored the critical importance of this domain for safeguarding the national digital infrastructure and announced the establishment of a specialized educational institution — Cyber University — aimed at training highly qualified professionals in the field.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and IT export, and to implement joint projects in these areas.