MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) – Over 170 representatives of business circles of Belarus and Uzbekistan took part in the first meeting of the Belarus-Uzbekistan business council in Tashkent on 4 March, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Attending the meeting on Belarus' behalf were more than 70 managers and representatives of organizations and enterprises of the country, including the flagships of mechanical engineering, leading enterprises of food and pharmaceutical industries, logistics and insurance companies, research institutes, and educational institutions. The Uzbek business was represented by more than 100 managers and specialists of the enterprises interested in the development of partnership relations with the Belarusian companies.
“The interest shown by business in the work of the Belarus-Uzbekistan Business Council and the participation of distinguished guests in its meeting give reason to believe that this body will work effectively and contribute to the expansion of Belarusian-Uzbek foreign economic relations. The council's session is a platform for establishing contacts and discussing opportunities of cooperation and ways of long-term mutually beneficial cooperation. The next session of the council will take place in Minsk, and I am sure it will be of the same scale,” Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Ulakhovich said.
The participants of the meeting discussed promising avenues of cooperation in trade and economy, and ways to make the most of business contacts of the two states. The participants from Belarus learned about Uzbekistan's projects in agriculture and food and the work of the Association of Electrical Engineering Enterprises of Uzbekistan. Belarus presented the country's largest bioindustry project - the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation.
“Belarus and Uzbekistan have always maintained truly friendly relations, mutual respect, open dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation. The foundation of bilateral relations is strong trade and economic ties, driven by the complementarity of the economies of the two states. The business council, set up in 2019, is designed to further deepen partnership relations between Belarus and Uzbekistan, intensify cooperation between companies of the two countries in trade and investment, identify and overcome barriers to the expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation,” the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.
The BelCCI and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan signed an action plan to implement the provisions of the agreement on the establishment of the Belarus-Uzbekistan business council for 2021-2022, which provides for closer cooperation between the two chambers, exchange of business visits, including at the regional level, holding exhibitions in the two countries and sharing information about companies interested in establishing partnerships.
At the end of the meeting, Belarusian and Uzbek companies held bilateral talks to discuss concrete projects of cooperation in agriculture, mechanical engineering, logistics, food industry, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, science and education, IT and other areas.
The first meeting of the Belarus-Uzbekistan business council was organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan as part of the work of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. The event was held under the chairmanship of BelCCI head Vladimir Ulakhovich and head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan Adham Ikramov. The guests of honor were co-chairpersons of the Intergovernmental Commission - Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Subbotin and Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov.
