Kazakh, Uzbek PMs discuss ways to promote trade and economic cooperation
Kazakh and Uzbek Prime Ministers Olzhas Bektenov and Abdulla Aripov held the 21st meeting of the Bilateral Intergovernmental Commission in the Kazakh city of Almaty, Kazinform News Agency cites the press service of the head of the Kazakh government.
The meeting saw an exchange of views on the pressing issues of bilateral agenda ahead of the official visit of Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kazakhstan as well as the pace of implementation of the agreements reached between the Heads of the two States. In particular, the status of projects aimed at strengthening trade and economic, investment, water and energy cooperation as well as interaction in transport, industry, agriculture, ecology and digitalization was discussed.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan make up 57% of Central Asia’s total trade. Last year, the two countries traded goods worth 4.5 billion US dollars, and $1.2bn worth of commodities in four months of this year.
Both countries seek to carry out 69 projects to the tune of 3.1 billion US dollars as part of industrial cooperation, creating over 14.7 thousand jobs. So far, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have brought to fruition 12 joint projects worth 217 million US dollars with creation of around 4.5 thousand jobs. Currently, the countries have three ongoing investment projects worth 178 million US dollars, including the major one - an electrometallurgical plant with a capacity of 500 thousand tons of steel products in the city of Taraz.
Completion of construction of the Central Asia International Center for Industrial Cooperation in the area of 100 ha in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region and Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya region is set to create enabling conditions for joint ventures. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan eye greater cooperation to increase mutual deliveries of electrotechnical products and batteries on a yearly basis.
Both parties expressed their commitment to the realization of Darbaza-Maktaaral, Almaty ring road, Dostyk station projects, as measures are being adopted to expand transport interaction, develop railway infrastructure and eliminate bottlenecks. Ways to further promote cooperation in the water field were also touched upon, especially regarding water distribution facilities’ digitalization and automatization.
Uzbekistan is one of the major trade partners of Kazakhstan. The Heads of State set the task to bring the mutual trade to up to 10 billion US dollars in the mid-term. In this regard, our country is interested in expanding cooperation in the agro-industrial complex and food industry as well as improve the quality of industrial cooperation, said Bektenov.
In his turn, Uzbek Prime Minister Aripov highlighted that the interaction between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been evolving rapidly in the spirit of strategic partnership and alliance in the past few years, with a huge potential for further strengthening in place.
There is an upward trend in all spheres, meeting the interests of our brotherly nations. Indeed, the main reason for such a high level of partnership are friendly and trust-based relations between the Heads of our States. I’m convinced that today’s meeting and the agreements reached will give an additional impetus to our cooperation, said Aripov.
In conclusion, the Protocol of the 21st meeting of the Bilateral Intergovernmental Commission was signed.
