The Uzbekistan government at an International Investment Forum to be on November 5-6 in capital Tashkent, has invited as many as 80 Indian companies from several sectors including textile to implement the vision of stronger Indo-Uzbek economic partnership as well as India's growing ties with Central Asia following PM Narendra Modi's visit to all five countries in the region last July.

The objective of the International Investment Forum is to facilitate interface between the leading enterprises of Uzbekistan and strategic foreign investors capable of ensuring modernization and help in manufacturing of goods competitive in both domestic and external markets, as well as introduction of modern corporate governance practices.

Uzbekistan has established three Free Economic Zones where Indian companies will be given first preference, an Uzbek government official said. Tashkent is pushing to implement vision enunciated during PM Modi's visit to the country which was first stop in his tour to Central Asia and Russia.

The International Investment Forum will allow foreign investors to establish mutually beneficial business contacts and to open up new growth opportunities in the promising and fast-growing market of Uzbekistan, according to a statement by the Uzbek government.

The agenda of the event includes plenary sessions, presentations by major foreign investors on their experience in doing business in Uzbekistan, panel sessions on various economic sectors with presentations of specific privatization objects, visits to enterprises, as well as cultural program with trips to ancient cities including Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, which will complement the business part of the event.

The Forum will be attended by members of the Uzbek Government, heads of ministries and departments of Uzbekistan, investment funds and banks, as well as international financial institutions: the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Asian Development Bank among others.