Uzbekistan central bank keeps policy rate unchanged at 14%

TASHKENT, March 11 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 14.0% on Thursday, citing the need to further curb inflation while supporting economic recovery in the Central Asian nation.

Annual inflation in the former Soviet republic stood at 11.4% in February and the bank said in a statement it aimed to bring it down to single digits this year.

However, it saw risks from factors such as rising domestic demand, spikes in global food prices amid export restrictions and the effects of an increase in local fuel prices.

"Overall, risks of inflation accelerating under the influence of domestic and external factors continue to prevail," the bank said, adding it would next review the rate on April 22.