Experts of Belarus and Uzbekistan Outline New Vectors of Industrial Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A round table discussion titled "Belarus and Uzbekistan: New Vectors of Interaction" was held at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISI). The event brought together leading analysts from both nations, the Minister of Economy of Belarus Yury Chebotar, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov. The main objective of the expert discussions was to comprehensively prepare the substantive agenda for the upcoming official visit of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to the Republic of Belarus.

According to BISI analyst Anton Dudarenok, primary attention during the discussion focused on three main avenues: deepening cooperation in the industrial sector and the agro-industrial complex, improving transport and logistics chains, and implementing new technologies. The expert recalled a number of already successful joint ventures, specifically pointing out the assembly production of Belarusian tractors in Tashkent. Furthermore, the sides noted a mutual interest in strengthening food security, introducing advanced agricultural technologies, and expanding educational ties, highlighting a multifold increase in the number of Uzbekistani students enrolled in Belarusian universities since 2017.

Bekzod Kurbanov, Head of a Sector at the Agency for Strategic Development and Reforms under the President of Uzbekistan, highly praised the achievements of Belarus in the agricultural sector, as well as in the fields of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. He noted that Uzbekistan’s large domestic market offers open niches that can be effectively filled by Belarusian manufacturers. Additionally, Tashkent is actively fostering economic integration in Central Asia, which allows Uzbekistani production sites to serve as a springboard for launching large-scale investment megaprojects of regional importance.

The diplomatic corps and core departments confirmed the complete absence of political disagreements, which allows both nations to concentrate their efforts entirely on economic tracks. As a main indicator of success, Rakhmatulla Nazarov cited bilateral trade statistics: in recent years, annual trade turnover between the two states has registered a fivefold increase, rising from a modest $200 million in 2018 to nearly $1 billion by the end of last year. Round table participants agreed that this result is far from the limit, and the economies of both countries possess significant potential for further complementary growth.