TASHKENT, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's Central Bank said Friday it will maintain the policy rate at 14 percent to further curb inflation.

Economic activity in the country continued to grow in the third quarter as well, the bank said in a statement, adding that the maintenance of relatively tight monetary conditions, the fading impact of last year's inflationary factors, and the stabilizing effect of the exchange rate appreciation on goods prices contributed to a slowdown in annual inflation in September.

"At the same time, inflationary risks arising from external supply shocks as well as high services inflation persist amid strong aggregate demand. Taking these factors into account, the Board of the Central Bank decided to maintain the policy rate at 14 percent per annum," the statement said.

"The Central Bank will ensure that monetary conditions remain sufficiently tight to achieve a decline in inflation toward the 5 percent target in the medium term," it added. ■