Uzbekistan and Belarus have intensified their efforts to enhance interregional cooperation with the successful conclusion of the second interregional forum held in Tashkent on February 7, the government portal of Uzbekistan reported.
Led by the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Khodjaev, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Leonid Zayats, the event saw participation from over 300 representatives encompassing ministries, departments, industry associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, regional governments, and business circles from both nations.
During the plenary session, speakers highlighted the significant growth in mutual trade in recent years, underscoring the vast untapped potential within the economies of both countries. Emphasis was placed on the need to increase the volume of mutual trade through the development of investment cooperation and trade relations between regions. They stressed the importance of producing high-demand products and exploring new markets.
Mutual visits, investment forums, exhibitions, enterprise visits, and business meetings were identified as crucial avenues for revealing regional potential and enhancing communication between small and medium-sized businesses. Regional representatives from Uzbekistan and Belarus were urged to engage in active and fruitful cooperation, with assurances of full government support for joint initiatives.
The establishment of a trade house, preferential purchase mechanisms, systematic delivery of wood and food products, and collaboration in agriculture, health, and education were identified as promising areas for bilateral relations.
Panel sessions were dedicated to discussing practical cooperation in agriculture, the food industry, investment, sports, tourism, health, and youth policy. The outcomes of the forum included a schedule of mutual visits between regions, bilateral agreements for regional cooperation, as well as a series of investment and trade agreements.
Diplomatic ties between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Uzbekistan were established on January 21, 1993. The Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Uzbekistan commenced operations in February 1994, while the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Belarus became operational in March 2018. Bilateral trade between the two nations has experienced significant growth in recent years.
From 2018 to 2022, trade turnover between Belarus and Uzbekistan increased by 3.2 times. In 2023 alone, the volume of mutual trade surged by an additional 12%, exceeding $565mn. Belarus primarily exports trucks, beef, tractors, sugar, pharmaceutical products, vaccines, powdered milk, tractor parts, vinyl chloride polymers, poultry meat, gas stoves, and X-ray equipment to Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan's main imports from Belarus include cotton yarn, dried fruits, fresh and dried grapes, copper rolled metal, bed sheets, nuts, knitted fabrics, textile products, and tungsten.
Earlier reports indicated that Belarus and Uzbekistan are poised to collaborate on projects valued at over $1bn between 2024 and 2025. This announcement was made during the II Forum of Regions of Belarus and Uzbekistan in Tashkent, where Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Leonid Zayats, revealed the plans. He emphasized various sectors for cooperation, encompassing industrial cooperation, agriculture, processing industries, humanitarian issues, education, sports, tourism, forestry, urban planning, and communal services.
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