MINSK, 12 February (BelTA) – Belarus and Uzbekistan will consider joint production of dump trucks, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Uzbekistan Leonid Marinich said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.
Leonid Marinich recalled that the implementation of joint projects and the creation of joint ventures were discussed during the negotiations between the presidents of Belarus and Uzbekistan in Tashkent on 8 February. “Shavkat Miromonovich said: “Let’s jointly assemble your BelAZ trucks, let’s do a joint assembly production of MAZ vehicles,” the ambassador noted.
This initiative was upheld by Belarusian head of state Aleksandr Lukashenko. “The industry minister was tasked with setting up a joint venture to assemble BelAZ vehicles here. The same task was set for Minsk Tractor Works and MAZ,” said Leonid Marinich. “It is gratifying to note that the Uzbek side is receptive to cooperation proposals in the manufacturing industry,” he added.
Uzbekistan is ready not only to arrange SKD assembly of Belarusian dump trucks, but also to produce the necessary components and parts on its own.
“Uzbekistan was blessed with having nearly the entire periodic table. Therefore, they [dump trucks] are needed to transport ore to processing plants where rare earth metals are obtained. We also know that Uzbekistan is the CIS leader in copper production and gold mining. The mining industry is the lifeblood and the locomotive of the economy of Uzbekistan,” the Belarusian ambassador added.
