Astana (TDI): Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have strengthened their bilateral ties by signing 76 agreements worth over $352 million during the fourth Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum, held in Samarkand.
The forum was chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and his Uzbek counterpart, Abdulla Aripov.
The agreements span various sectors, including energy, mining, geology, and cover areas of cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural, and humanitarian fields.
A key highlight was the approval of a practical action plan to fast-track the implementation of previous high-level agreements.
Discussions during the forum centered on enhancing bilateral trade, industrial cooperation, and collaboration in critical sectors such as water, energy, transit, and gas.
Bektenov emphasized the importance of expanding trade relations and creating favorable conditions for mutual investments between the two nations.
He highlighted the $7 billion worth of agreements and commercial contracts signed earlier at the Astana business forum as pivotal for the region’s sustainable economic growth.
Largest Trading Partners in Central Asia
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner in Central Asia, saw a mutual trade volume of $2.5 billion between January and August this year.
Bektenov noted that Kazakhstan is poised to increase its exports to Uzbekistan by more than $550 million, focusing on sectors such as petrochemicals, metallurgy, automotive, food, and pharmaceuticals.
Aripov praised the growth in interregional cooperation, noting that mutual trade has nearly doubled in the past seven years, reaching $4.4 billion in 2023.
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Over 1,000 Kazakh-backed enterprises are currently operating in Uzbekistan, with close ties established between border regions like Karakalpakstan and Mangystau, Tashkent and Turkistan, and Navoi and Kyzylorda.
The forum also underscored the significance of industrial cooperation, with 74 joint projects in the pipeline, amounting to $3.4 billion in investments and the creation of 14,600 jobs.
Of these, 65 enterprises will be set up in Kazakhstan, generating 13,600 new jobs.
Notable projects include the production of Chevrolet Onix cars in Kostanai, a household appliances plant in Saran, and textiles and construction material factories in Shymkent and Angren.
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Another milestone discussed was the establishment of the Central Asia International Center for Industrial Cooperation on the Kazakh-Uzbek border, which is expected to boost joint economic initiatives.
In the realm of transport and logistics, Bektenov and Aripov focused on optimizing Uzbekistan’s trade routes, over 50% of which transit through Kazakhstan.
Currently, 18 passenger transport routes are in operation, further enhancing connectivity between the two nations.
