On July 12, the 21st meeting of the Kazakh-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was held in Almaty, co-chaired by the Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Olzhas Bektenov and Abdulla Aripov. As reported by the Kazakh prime minister’s press service, the parties exchanged views on their bilateral agenda ahead of the upcoming visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kazakhstan. The prime ministers discussed joint projects in trade, the economy, investment, water and energy sectors, transport, industry, agriculture, ecology, and digitization.
It was noted at the meeting that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan account for 57% of all trade in Central Asia. Last year, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.5 billion; during the first four months of 2024, the figure exceeded $1.2 billion.
The industrial cooperation portfolio of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan includes 69 projects worth $3.1 billion, which have created more than 14,000 jobs. Furthermore, twelve joint projects worth $217 million have been successfully implemented, creating another 4,500 jobs.
The ongoing construction of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation, “Central Asia,” in a border area between the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan and the Syr Darya region of Uzbekistan will create additional opportunities for joint projects.
Kazakh Prime Minister Bektenov emphasized that Uzbekistan is one of the largest trading partners of Kazakhstan, adding that the heads of the two states have set the task of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion in the medium term.
Uzbek Prime Minister Aripov, meanwhile, stated that relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have rapidly developed in the spirit of strategic partnership in recent years. Still, he noted, there is enormous potential for their further strengthening.
