The 9th meeting of the Uzbek-Belarusian Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was held

The 9th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Belarus was held in Minsk. The meeting was co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Zh.Khodzhaev and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus L.Zaits. The heads of key ministries and departments of the two countries also took part in its work.

As part of the plan, a wide range of issues of investment, trade, economic, industrial, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian cooperation were considered.

It was noted that thanks to the efforts of the Heads of the two states, relations between Uzbekistan and Belarus are characterized by high and sustainable development dynamics, which creates prerequisites for deepening cooperation in priority areas.

The significant progress achieved within the trade and economic partnership framework between the two countries was emphasized. In 2021, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Belarus increased by more than 40% and amounted to $337.3 million. An agreement was reached on the establishment of a Working Group on the development of mutual trade among representatives of the responsible ministries and departments, as well as on the development and signing in the near future of an Agreement on the use of an electronic system for certification of the origin of goods.

Positive trends in the development of investment cooperation and industrial cooperation were discussed. Over the past three years, the number of enterprises with the participation of Belarusian capital in Uzbekistan has quadrupled and amounted to 157 units. In just seven months of this year, 58 enterprises were created. In turn, 101 enterprises with the participation of Uzbek capital operate in Belarus. Great prospects were noted for the implementation of new joint projects in mechanical engineering, textile, food, pharmaceutical industries, electronics and the production of building materials based on effective cooperation in the production of high-value-added products and their subsequent export to third countries using the logistics capabilities of the two states.

An exchange of views took place on issues of cooperation in IT and innovation. An agreement was reached to hold the 2nd meeting of the Belarusian-Uzbek Commission for Cooperation in Science and Technology in a full-time format in the first half of 2023 in Belarus, as well as to supplement the approved joint Executive Program for scientific, technical and innovative cooperation with new initiatives and projects in the field of IT, digitalization and high technologies.

Particular attention was also paid to cultural and humanitarian cooperation, in particular, interaction in the development of education and tourism. Readiness was expressed to organize special tour packages for Belarusian citizens, such as “Tourism for the family”, “Sunny holidays”, “Vitamin tour”, and “Study and Travel”. Belarusian colleagues were invited to take part in the work of the Tashkent International Tourism Fair in November this year and the 25th session of the General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization in 2023
in Samarkand. An agreement was reached on the development and approval of a joint Roadmap for 2023-2026. between the leading higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan and Belarus, as well as holding the Days of Belarusian Cinema in Uzbekistan and the Days of Uzbek Cinema in Belarus.

As a result of the meeting, the final protocol was signed, reflecting the key agreements reached during the events, as well as the Roadmap for the implementation of the agreements reached following the mutual visits of the Heads of Government of the two countries.

 

Source: mift.uz