The Council of Heads of Government of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) convened in Almaty on February 2, bringing together leaders from member states to discuss and advance economic cooperation, the government portal of Uzbekistan reported.
The meeting saw the active participation of the Prime Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyz Republic. Notably, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz joined the session via video address.
A significant aspect of the meeting focused on Uzbekistan's thriving partnership with EAEU as an observer state. Despite challenging global conditions, positive dynamics in trade and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the union have been maintained, underscoring the resilience and strength of their relationship.
Uzbekistan's commitment to the EAEU is evident in its remarkable economic achievements. Since attaining observer status, Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover with member countries has nearly doubled, surging from $9.8bn in 2020 to $15.9bn in 2023.
During the third meeting of the joint working group held in Samarkand in September 2023, detailed discussions were conducted to review the outcomes of the Joint Action Plan for 2021-2023. This plan, fully implemented, has created new growth points and opportunities for the further development of economic partnership between Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Uzbekistan has actively participated in various joint projects, contributing to the establishment of modern trade and logistics centers, and special economic and industrial zones in priority sectors. The nation has also joined industrial projects focusing on cross-border procedures, simplification of multimodal transport of goods, climate initiatives, and e-commerce.
However, challenges remain, and there was an acknowledgment of outstanding issues that need resolution. The leaders emphasized the importance of eliminating factors limiting mutual relations and working towards establishing a comprehensive economic cooperation framework.
With global challenges such as increasing food and energy security risks, and the urgency of addressing climate change issues, the leaders stressed the need for closer coordination in achieving sustainable socio-economic development goals. To overcome these challenges, there was a call for increased efforts to boost trade volumes, liberalize trade and economic relations, and remove tariff and notary restrictions between Uzbekistan and the member states. The leaders expressed the desire to transition to a full free trade regime, emphasizing the necessity of developing a plan of measures for the unification of regulatory systems.
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