More than 1,700 companies recently showcased their products at the eighth annual International Industrial Fair and Cooperation Exchange at the Uzexpocenter in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The event was the second phase of a series of trade fairs in the country designed to increase cooperation between companies and enterprises within the country and internationally.

The first phase included multiple regional and sector-specific trade fairs held from March to June in which more than 3,800 enterprises shared their products.

The Tashkent event drew representatives from 1,200 international industries including automotive, pharmaceutical, electrical engineering, construction and food.

The series of trade fairs are part of the Measure to Further Reinforce Intra-Sector and Inter-Sector Industrial Cooperation, which was signed into law by Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov in 2007.

"Import substitution and localization are becoming a key factor in the economic advancement of our country and they allow for the creation of new jobs, open up new opportunities for us, the manufacturers,” Saidjon Gadoev, who was repesenting the cleaning supply firm JV Buhoro-Bahor at the fair, said. “We have found new partners at the International Industrial Fair and Cooperation Exchange.”