Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan Expand Economic Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbek Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov and Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held the 23rd meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation in Aktau, where they reviewed the implementation of agreements reached at the highest level and identified priority areas for further cooperation, the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said.

Bektenov said cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan continues to develop dynamically thanks to the political dialogue between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, describing it as an example for the Central Asian region. He said the results of the Kazakh president's state visit to Uzbekistan in November last year confirmed the high level of trust between the two countries.

Aripov said meetings between the two heads of state in Bukhara, Astana and Turkistan had set specific tasks for the governments to expand cooperation. He expressed readiness to ensure their implementation and said the talks would contribute to the development of trade, investment, industrial, transport, interregional and cultural and humanitarian ties.

According to the Kazakh side, bilateral trade reached US$4.8 billion in 2025. Trade turnover increased by 37% year on year in January–May 2026 to US$2.3 billion.

Participants focused on implementing the Investment and Trade Roadmap, which is valued at US$7.8 billion. The projects included in the roadmap are expected to diversify bilateral trade, expand product supplies and attract new investment.

Industrial cooperation was another key topic of discussion. The two countries are currently working on 80 joint projects worth more than US$1.8 billion. Fifteen projects worth US$227 million have already been completed, creating around 5,000 jobs. Another six projects valued at US$102 million are under implementation, while 59 initiatives worth a combined US$1.5 billion are under consideration.

The prime ministers also reviewed the development of transport links and logistics corridors. Rail freight traffic between the two countries increased by 16% in 2025 to reach 32.3 million tonnes.

To further expand freight volumes, the two sides have prepared a joint action plan to increase the capacity of railway corridors from 35 million tonnes to 60 million tonnes. Kazakhstan proposed modernising cross-border railway infrastructure and opening additional border crossing points.

The meeting also noted positive trends in the use of Kazakhstan's maritime infrastructure and the development of road transport. According to the participants, the introduction of the E-Permit electronic foreign permit exchange system has increased the number of permits by more than tenfold over the past four years while reducing border crossing times from nine hours to 30 minutes.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation in water management while taking into account the interests of both countries.

They also stressed the importance of expanding cultural and humanitarian ties, including joint efforts to include historical and cultural sites in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the transnational UNESCO World Heritage nomination "Great Silk Road: Ferghana-Syrdarya Corridor."

Following the expanded-format meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in industry, transport and transit, and other sectors of the economy. Aripov and Bektenov signed the protocol of the 23rd meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.