Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyayev hailed the positive dynamics in the development and strengthening of the Uzbek-Kazakh strategic partnership relations, including in trade and economic areas.

The Uzbek-Kazakh ties mulled in Tashkent on February 23 as President Mirziyoyev received the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Askar Mamin, who arrived in the country to participate in the meeting of Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation.

The President emphasized the importance of further expanding of fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, particularly through promotion and support of specific projects in trade, technology, and transport-communication sectors.

The sides noted the need for the establishment and strengthening of close contacts between the provinces of the two countries, which will enhance trade and cultural exchange.

Mamin, in turn, confirmed the willingness of the Republic of Kazakhstan to expand full-scale cooperation with our country.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Republic of Uzbekistan were established on November 23, 1992. The legal framework of bilateral cooperation includes more than 100 documents, covering almost all spheres of interstate relations.

The Joint Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation under the chairmanship of the First Deputies of the Heads of the Governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has been operating to expand Kazakh-Uzbek trade and economic relations.

The bilateral document called the Basic Directions of Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan was signed at the outcomes of the negotiations in September 2016, as part of which, the parties agreed on the necessity to sign the intergovernmental Strategy for Economic Cooperation for 2017-2018.

Particularly, the sides underlined the need to eliminate barriers, stimulate bilateral trade and made arrangements to organize a business forum in 2017 with the participation of Kazakh and Uzbek companies.

They also reached an agreement on informational cooperation of customs bodies of both countries.

Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amounted to more than $2 billion in 2016. More than 230 enterprises with the participation of Kazakh partners operate in Uzbekistan.

The major products of Kazakh export to Uzbekistan are oil and its processed products, products of flour and cereal industry, grain, ferrous and nonferrous metals, inorganic chemistry products, food products.

Energy resources (gas), cotton fiber, chemical products and plastics, fertilizers, fruits and vegetables, and other goods are imported to Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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