Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan Expand Strategic Partnership

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The second meeting of the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan Expert Council, titled "Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan: Strategic Partnership and Prospects for Its Further Development," was held in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

A delegation from Uzbekistan attended the meeting, comprising heads and specialists from leading analytical centers, профильных government agencies, and representatives of the business community.

Addressing participants, Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies (ISRS), highlighted the significant qualitative changes taking place in relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

He said that, thanks to the strong political will of the leaders of the two countries, all major and complex issues on the bilateral agenda had been successfully resolved.

Describing this as a historic milestone, Aripov said: "For the first time in many decades, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have the opportunity to focus their efforts not on overcoming the legacy of the past, but on jointly shaping the future."

He also highlighted economic cooperation. Aripov said bilateral trade, which barely exceeded US$100 million a decade ago, has now approached US$1.2 billion, rising by nearly 40% last year alone. He said the two countries are moving beyond increasing trade volumes toward deeper industrial cooperation and the establishment of joint production facilities.

Speaking about major infrastructure initiatives, Aripov emphasized the importance of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Kambarata HPP-1 project. According to him, these projects extend well beyond the bilateral agenda because "they are effectively shaping a new economic geography of Eurasia."

On the issue of transboundary water resources, Aripov said that recent experience demonstrates that the traditional division between the interests of upstream and downstream countries is gradually losing relevance, giving way to mutual consideration of interests and shared responsibility for common natural resources.

Concluding his remarks, Aripov noted unprecedented growth in people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Over the past decade, the number of Kyrgyz citizens visiting Uzbekistan has increased more than sevenfold, reaching 3.3 million last year, the highest figure among all inbound international tourist flows to the country.

Summing up the meeting, Aripov said: "Today, relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have reached a level where the success of our cooperation is determined not by the ability to solve emerging problems, but by our ability to jointly seize the opportunities that are opening up."