Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Belarus plan to increase bilateral trade to US$2 billion while expanding industrial and agricultural cooperation, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said following a meeting in Khiva with Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko.
Khodjaev said that following agreements reached by the two countries in July, it was important to maintain the pace of cooperation and translate the agreements into specific projects.
Around 120 industrial cooperation projects are currently being implemented between Uzbekistan and Belarus. Key areas include electrical engineering and light industry, mechanical engineering, construction materials, pharmaceuticals and other sectors.
The sides also discussed cooperation in livestock farming. Uzbek entrepreneurs have already launched 39 projects in five regions of Belarus.
The projects involve establishing livestock complexes, developing breeding livestock, producing animal feed and using agricultural land.
Organized labor migration was another area of cooperation discussed at the meeting. According to Khodjaev, a mechanism is being developed to attract specialists from Uzbekistan on a targeted basis, taking into account the needs of Belarusian enterprises.
The sides also discussed the possibility of opening a representative office of Uzbekistan’s Migration Agency in Minsk.
The meeting followed agreements aimed at expanding trade and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Belarus and moving from agreements already reached to the implementation of specific joint projects.
