Uzbekistan, Belarus identify priorities for cooperation
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By
TCA
TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko held negotiations in Minsk on August 1. They focused on the enhancement of trade and economic cooperation, the development of industrial cooperation and interregional exchange, the press service of the Uzbek president said.
Mirziyoyev said that over the last two years, the volume of bilateral trade has grown almost fourfold, and that it is essential to uphold and shore up the established dynamics of trade.
Strengthening trade and economic ties is the number one goal in Belarus-Uzbekistan relations, President Lukashenko said, adding that “Belarus is ready to expand economic cooperation with Uzbekistan, including through joint investment projects”.
During the Belarusian president’s visit to Uzbekistan in 2018, the parties agreed to set up several dairies with the help of Belarusian companies. There are plans to equip them with Belarusian equipment. So far, only one joint company has been set up in Tashkent Oblast, Belarusian BelTA news agency reported.
“We need to complete these three projects and build milk processing companies to sell not only within Uzbekistan but also to its neighbors, including Afghanistan. Perhaps we have some problems with financing these projects. Here, we also need to take a look at these projects. We have already prepared the schedule plan for the delivery of 1,500 head of cattle to Uzbekistan in 2019-2020. We will build these complexes and deliver cattle,” Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian president named IT sector as a promising area of bilateral cooperation. He said that Belarus has been successfully developing information systems in areas such as public management, transport, financing and credit. “We suggest implementing projects in Uzbekistan to introduce an automated gas recording system with the Belarusian software and utility meters, upgrade and automate gas distribution and gas transportation networks. If these projects are okayed, we are ready to start working on them,” Lukashenko said.
