Belarus to Welcome 5,000 Additional Workers From Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced plans to receive an additional 5,000 citizens from Uzbekistan under an organized labor recruitment program. He made the announcement on 14 July 2026 during a working trip to the Vitebsk Region, where bilateral cooperation in labor migration and agriculture was discussed.

According to the Belarusian head of state, an initial group of 250 Uzbek citizens has already arrived in the Vitebsk Region and has been distributed to their respective workplaces. Starting in September 2026, the region plans to welcome 500 additional workers monthly until the total reaches 5,000.

Lukashenko noted that Belarus intends to employ Uzbek citizens not only in agriculture but also in construction, industry, the services sector, and as junior medical staff. He stated that all participants in the program will be provided with the necessary living and working conditions.

The President of Belarus emphasized that arriving workers and their families will have access to social infrastructure on an equal basis with Belarusian citizens. He stated that children will be able to attend kindergartens and schools under the same conditions as Belarusians, and new housing facilities will be constructed without national discrimination.

The Belarusian side also proposed extending the organized labor recruitment program to the southeastern districts of the Mogilev Region. The government has been instructed to determine the region's requirement for workers across various specialties.

In addition to labor migration, Belarus and Uzbekistan intend to expand cooperation in the agro-industrial complex. Specifically, agreements have been reached to transfer ten cattle fattening facilities across seven districts of the Vitebsk Region, as well as 8,000 hectares of agricultural land, to the Uzbek side. The products generated will be supplied to Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, Uzbek partners will receive 2,000 hectares of land in the Beshenkovichi District for potato cultivation. The Belarusian side will provide seed material, technology, specialists, and storage infrastructure. The two countries are also discussing projects to build a woodworking enterprise funded by Uzbek investment, establish fuel pellet production, set up a construction trust involving Uzbek specialists, open a trading house for Uzbek goods, and establish a restaurant serving Uzbek cuisine and a tourist base.

During a meeting with the Hokim of Andijan Region, Shukhratbek Abdurakhmanov, Alexander Lukashenko stated that Belarus intends to develop cooperation with Uzbekistan "in a brotherly manner" and jointly implement projects, including in agricultural processing.

On 13 July 2026, the first organized group of 255 residents from the Andijan Region arrived in Belarus for temporary work in agriculture and animal husbandry. The project is being implemented under a trilateral agreement between the Hokimiyat of Andijan Region, the Migration Agency of Uzbekistan, and the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Social Protection of the Vitebsk Region.

The organized labor recruitment program was made possible after the signing of an agreement between Uzbekistan and Belarus on 9 July 2026 during the state visit of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Minsk. The document establishes the procedure for recruiting Uzbek citizens for temporary labor activities in Belarus.

During the negotiations, Alexander Lukashenko also invited Uzbek citizens to relocate for work together with their families, noting a labor shortage in the country.