The expansion of trade and economic cooperation was discussed by the Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

The Heads of Governments, in an expanded format, discussed issues of further development of trade and economic cooperation, the implementation of joint projects in the fields of industry, transport, agriculture and education, as well as cooperation in the water and energy sector.

“Uzbekistan, for us, is a fraternal neighboring state, a time-tested friend and a long-term strategic partner. Our main goal is the full implementation of the tasks set by the Heads of our states and bringing Kazakh-Uzbek cooperation to a qualitatively new level,” said Alikhan Smailov.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan also expressed condolences and words of support to the families and friends of citizens of Uzbekistan who died as a result of an accident in the Zhambyl region.

For his part, Abdulla Aripov thanked his colleagues from Kazakhstan for the prompt assistance to the victims and the provision of all necessary organizational support measures.

During the talks, it was noted, that by the end of 2021, trade between the countries increased by 33% ($4.3 billion). Positive dynamics is also observed in the first quarter of 2022 - the trade turnover amounted to over $1 billion, which is 27.2% higher than the same period last year.

To achieve the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion over the next five years, a Plan of Practical Actions was adopted, consisting of 41 measures.

In this direction, the parties stressed the need to intensify work, to remove barriers to mutual trade and prevent the emergence of new ones. The Kazakh side is preparing a draft of the relevant Roadmap, the document will allow carrying out targeted work to eliminate existing issues.

A positive trend is also observed in industrial cooperation, where nine large joint projects are currently being implemented for a total amount of about $1 billion 786 million.

“We will be glad to work closely with Uzbek companies,” said Alikhan Smailov.

In terms of cooperation in the field of agriculture, it was noted that Kazakh companies are interested in exporting meat and dairy products, fish and fish products to Uzbekistan. Earlier, the Uzbek side was sent all the necessary materials to include 113 Kazakh companies in the register of those entitled to import agricultural products into the country.

As part of curbing food inflation, the need to intensify work to synchronize the commodity distribution systems of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was emphasized.