TASHKENT (TCA) — First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin held negotiations with the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdullah Aripov on November 24 in Tashkent to discuss further development of cooperation in industrial, agricultural, military, technical, aerospace, transit and transport spheres, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.
“The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the first 9 months of 2017 grew 30% and amounted to $1.5 billion. By the end of this year, the trade turnover will be $2 billion,” Mamin said, adding that “by 2020, mutual trade must be raised up to $5 billion.”
The sides spoke for making use of the existing potential of regional and cross-border cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In this regard, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan supported the idea of holding a Forum for Interregional Cooperation, which “will become the basis for further development of trade and economic ties between the two countries.”
The meeting took place within the framework of events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Due to the open and pragmatic policy of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the interrelations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been intensified, Uzbekistan’s official information agency Jahon reported on the event. The state visit of the Uzbek president to Kazakhstan on March 22-23, 2017 raised the cooperation between the two countries to a new level, and the state visit of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan on September 16-17 became a logical continuation of the high-level dialogue.
In 2018, the Year of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan will be held, which will demonstrate the fraternal relationship and cultural unity of the two countries.
