Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Sputnik multimedia press center hosted a discussion on the prospects for developing digital trade within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The central topic was Uzbekistan’s proposal to create a unified digital platform, SCO TradeNet, to integrate the trade operations of member states and coordinate logistics.

Maxim Fayazov, Director for Government Relations of the Russian-Uzbek Business Council under the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that such a platform could become a catalyst for economic integration within the SCO and for strengthening cross-border cooperation. According to him, a unified system would simplify trade operations, accelerate customs procedures, increase logistics efficiency, and ensure business transparency.

“For Russia, this opens up opportunities to scale up exports to Central Asia and speed up the movement of goods, including mass-market products and high-tech items,” Fayazov emphasized.

Timur Islyaev, a member of the Russian-Uzbek Business Council under the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reported that trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan within the SCO is showing steady growth — in 2024, the volume of mutual trade increased by about 12%, confirming the high level of trust in integration mechanisms among the business community.

Mirislom Yuldashev, Head of the Department for Supporting Business Entities in the Field of E-Commerce at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, noted that the digital trade platform would help reduce production costs and increase transparency in trade between countries.

He added that since the beginning of 2025, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan has trained more than 500 entrepreneurs in conducting online sales on international marketplaces, and plans to prepare more than 2,000 additional participants by the end of the year. Textile products hold a leading position in electronic supplies to Russia, accounting for about 70% of the range offered by Uzbek sellers on marketplaces.

It should be recalled that on July 16, 2025, in Beijing, during a meeting of the SCO Business Council, Uzbekistan presented the initiative to create SCO TradeNet, which is intended to serve as a tool for data exchange, logistics optimization, and the development of mutual trade in the region.