Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Russia plan to expand direct cooperation between their regions, industrial cooperation, trade and investment ties. The issues were discussed on 6 October in Ferghana at a plenary session of the third Council of Regions of the two countries.
The meeting began with the reading of messages from the presidents of Uzbekistan and Russia, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin. The Uzbek leader’s message was read by Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojayev, while Russia’s message was delivered by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
Khojayev noted that holding the Council in Ferghana is particularly important for developing interregional ties. According to him, over eight years, the mechanism for cooperation between the regions of the two countries has demonstrated practical effectiveness.
The current meeting brought together heads and representatives of 17 Russian regions, representatives of all regions of Uzbekistan, as well as around 400 entrepreneurs from the two countries.
According to Khojayev, all 14 regions of Uzbekistan maintain stable ties with more than 50 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The joint portfolio of cooperation projects exceeds 200 initiatives with a total value of nearly US$6 billion.
“All this confirms that the regions are one of the solid foundations of our partnership for achieving strategic objectives,” he said.
Manturov said that since the beginning of 2026, Russian regions and their Uzbek partners have organised around 100 joint events, including at major business platforms in both countries.
He also invited participants to Omsk, where the fourth Council of Regions is planned to be held.
The plenary discussion featured heads and representatives of Ferghana, Surkhandarya and Namangan regions of Uzbekistan, as well as Krasnoyarsk and Altai krais and Novosibirsk and Omsk regions of Russia.
One of the practical outcomes of the meeting was the exchange of four documents — three interregional agreements and one commercial agreement.
Ferghana region and Omsk region signed an agreement on cooperation in industry. Surkhandarya region and Krasnoyarsk Krai agreed to cooperate in trade and economic, scientific and technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Namangan region and the Republic of Dagestan agreed on an action plan to implement an agreement on trade and economic, scientific and technical, and social and cultural cooperation.
A separate document was signed in the investment sector. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade and Wildberries signed an investment agreement providing for the construction of a Class A logistics complex.
The Council of Regions is regarded as one of the mechanisms for developing economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia.
Direct contacts between the regions enable the sides to develop new business ties and move from interregional agreements to the implementation of specific investment and industrial projects.
