New Delhi, Aug. 3 -- Uzbekistan has invited Indian companies to invest in its mining and metallurgy sector, offering opportunities in gold, copper, uranium, critical minerals and rare earth elements, while projecting bilateral trade with India to reach USD 2 billion next year.

Addressing more than 200 business representatives at the India-Uzbekistan Business Forum in New Delhi alongside Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, said the Central Asian nation is keen to bring Indian technology, expertise and capital into its mineral and metals sector.

"First, of course, is mining and metallurgy. We discussed with Minister Goyal opportunities that Uzbekistan ...