ASTANA ( WNAM MONITORING): Kazakh and Uzbek business leaders signed 76 documents worth more than $352 million during the fourth Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan interregional cooperation forum, chaired by Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov in Samarkand.
The list of signed documents include the plan of practical actions to accelerate the implementation of agreements reached at the highest level. The document provides for the implementation of joint projects in energy, mining, and geology. The meeting participants also inked agreements on cooperation in trade and economic, scientific and technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres between the regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
During the forum, Bektenov and Aripov discussed measures to increase bilateral trade turnover, as well as industrial cooperation, interaction in the water, energy and transit-transport spheres, and the gas industry, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Uzbekistan is Kazakhstan’s main trading partner in the Central Asian region. In January-August, the volume of mutual trade reached $2.5 billion. Bektenov underlined the need to expand measures aimed at developing trade and economic cooperation and creating favorable conditions for mutual investment.
“Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have broad prospects for joint work in all areas. (…) Investment agreements and commercial contracts worth $7 billion signed at the business forum in Astana, will make a significant contribution. I am convinced that today’s meeting will serve as the beginning of the implementation of new breakthrough projects and will make a huge contribution to ensuring the sustainable economic development of the entire Central Asian region,” said Bektenov.
According to Bektenov, there is great export potential in the petrochemical, metallurgical, automotive, industrial, food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Kazakhstan is ready to increase export deliveries to Uzbekistan by over $550 million for 40 types of Kazakh high-value goods.
Aripov said that the growth of interregional cooperation is currently the most important area of bilateral ties.
“Over the past seven years, mutual trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has grown almost 2.5 times, reaching $4.4 billion last year. Today, there are more than 1,000 enterprises with Kazakh capital operating in Uzbekistan. Border regions have established direct and close ties – the Republic of Karakalpakstan with the Mangystau Region, Tashkent with the Turkistan Region, Navoi with Kyzylorda. Our other regions are also consistently strengthening ties, developing trade relations and industrial cooperation. At the same time, there is significant potential that has not yet been fulfilled,” Aripov noted.
The officials also focused on the development of industrial cooperation, which provides for the implementation of 74 joint projects with an investment volume of $3.4 billion and the creation of 14,600 jobs. Of these, 65 enterprises will be opened in Kazakhstan, creating 13,600 new jobs. To date, nine joint projects have been implemented in Kazakhstan, and three more in Uzbekistan, that employed 4,800 people in total.
Examples of Kazakh-Uzbek industrial cooperation include small-unit production of Chevrolet Onix cars in Kostanai, a household appliances plant in Saran, sewing and spinning and weaving factories in Shymkent and the Turkistan Region, autoclaved aerated concrete production in Angren, and others.
The creation of the Central Asia International Center for Industrial Cooperation on the Kazakh-Uzbek border will give a new impetus to the joint work of the governments.
Bektenov and Aripov also discussed the development of transport and logistics potential. More than 50% of Uzbekistan’s trade turnover passes through Kazakhstan in transit. Eighteen passenger transportation routes have been established by various modes of transport, opening up new opportunities for deepening ties.
