USAID Spurs Trade Connectivity between Asia and Baltic Nations
April 9, 2018–To spur trade connectivity between the Central Asianand Baltic markets, the United States Agency for International Developmentis conducting a horticulture trade missionand study tour to Latvia and Lithuania during the week of April 9-14, 2018. The visit began with an opening ceremony on April 9, in Riga, Latvia.
The 50-member delegation of government officials, horticultural producers, exporters and transport and logistics companiesfrom Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistanwill explore opportunities to form business ties with Baltic companies.
Ryder Rogers, USAIDCentral Asia, Senior Regional Trade Advisernoted that “The Baltic countries offer a great opportunity for Central Asian firms to expand to a new region, which is also a gateway to the broader European market. The experience of countries like Latvia and Lithuania can also provide valuable lessons to Central Asian governments and business.”
TheLatvian portion of the trade mission will include a business forumwith ‘matchmaking’ opportunities for Central Asian and Latvian firms and visits tofruit and vegetable producers, ports, warehouses and logistics centers for storage and cargo processing.The tour will continue in Lithuania and include meetings with government officials, additional fruit and vegetable producers, processors, distributors and retailers.
This trade mission and study toursupports the C5+1 Diplomatic platform for cooperation between the five Central Asian countries and the United States. Two priority areas for cooperation within the C5+1 framework are 1) Increasing the competitiveness of Central Asia’s horticulture sector, and 2) transport corridor development. These efforts are intended to support broad-based economic growth while enhancing regional trade connectivity.
For additional information, please contact:
Ms. Assel Choibekova, Communications Director
USAID Competitiveness, Trade, and Jobs in Central Asia
Phone: +7 701 756 33 67
E-mail: