Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan hold intergovernmental talks in Tashkent
At the meeting, the sides highlighted the importance of the agreements, which were reached during the state visit of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to Uzbekistan in September 2017, for further intensification of bilateral relations.
"The practical implementation of the agreements between the heads of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will ensure that the Kazakh-Uzbek ties will get to a whole new level," Mamin said.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the issues of further development of industrial cooperation, as well as the partnership in agri-industrial, military-technical, aerospace, transit and transport sectors. They also considered the possibility of providing services for earth remote sensing and satellite by Kazakhstan's group of satellites.
"Over 9 months of 2017, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has grown by 30% and reached $1.5 billion. By the end of this year, the trade turnover will have been equal to $2 billion," Mr. Mamin said, underscoring that 'the mutual trade needs to be increased to $5 billion by 2020 given its potential'.
The sides raised their voices for implementing the existing potential of the regional and cross-border cooperation as an important area of the bilateral partnership.
In this respect, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov supported the idea of holding a forum for the interregional cooperation that 'will become the foundation for the further development of trade and economic ties between the two countries'.
The attendees noted with satisfaction the symbolism of the meeting as it takes place within the framework of events marking the 25th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
It is planned that 2018 will be the Year of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan to demonstrate the fraternal historical heritage and cultural unity of both countries.
During the visit to Tashkent, First Deputy Prime Ministers of the two countries Askar Mamin and Achilbay Ramatov held a working meeting as the Co-Chairmen of the Intergovernmental Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The efforts made by the Kazakh-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission for Bilateral Cooperation greatly contributed to the development of trade and economic relations, growth of mutual trade, and enlargement of the range of goods.
In the course of the meeting, the sides discussed the current issues in developing the trade and economic cooperation, noting the success in implementing the agreements reached during the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Commission.
Trading houses dedicated to food, chemistry and petrochemistry products have been set up. The work to establish trading houses for machine building and pharmaceutical sectors is underway.
"Aiming at the productive win-win partnership for the largest possible range of issues will ensure a brand new content for the Kazakh-Uzbek relations," said the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
At the end of the working meeting, Askar Mamin and Achilbay Ramatov signed the respective minutes of negotiations.