WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior trade officials from the United States met on Tuesday with their counterparts from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on a range of trade issues, underscoring their desire to strengthen trade ties among countries in the region, and with the United States.
Participants in the meeting of the U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) also discussed the importance of digital trade for achieving broad-based inclusive economic growth and innovation, they said in a joint statement.
The officials greed to focus on ensuring the free flow of information across borders, transparency, competition, and non-discrimination, and to include women, small and medium enterprises and other stakeholders, in shaping new policies.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
