MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) - Industrial interaction is becoming a priority in the development of cooperation between Belarus and Uzbekistan, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Foreign Economic Relations - Head of the Department of Cooperation with CIS countries of the Belarusian Industry Ministry Yekaterina Sergeyeva said during a roundtable “Uzbekistan and Belarus, a time-tested partnership” in BelTA’s press center on 19 February.
“Our cooperation is not limited only to supplies. We are entering a new level of mutual cooperation - it is production cooperation. This is the future,” the representative of the Industry Ministry said.
In her words, the Industry Ministry comprised a solid delegation during the official visit of the Belarusian president to Uzbekistan in February 2024 and the Forum of Regions held in Tashkent. About 10 heads of major industrial holdings participated in the visit.
“For the Industry Ministry, our industrial enterprises Uzbekistan has always been a strategic partner. We consider this country as an entry point to the Central Asian market,” Yekaterina Sergeyeva said.
According to her, the cooperation roadmap for 2024-2025 signed between two countries during the presidential visit has a significant number of points that relate to the industrial sector.
In general, the parties have maintained momentum in industrial cooperation in recent years. The maximum trade figures were reached in late 2023. “There is interest in each other, and it is not weakening. This is a very pleasant result for us, but we will not stop there. We need to move forward, and there are opportunities,” the representative of the Industry Ministry said. “We have become friends, not just trade and economic partners. Belarusian products are in stable demand in the Uzbek market. For our part, we are also ready to expand imports.”
According to Yekaterina Sergeyeva, the parties have been successfully implementing the project on production of special equipment. About 200 units of such equipment have been manufactured and sold for Uzbek partners. The project is planned to be further expanded.
The parties have launched a project on cable products, and started the production of diesel-generator sets and compressor stations. There are plans for new projects in agricultural machinery. “The demand for Belarusian tractors in Uzbekistan is stable. We can successfully work here for both parties,” Yekaterina Sergeyeva said.
There are also good prospects for the production of quarry and passenger vehicles.
Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov emphasized that the economies of the two countries are complementary and this is an advantage for cooperation. Belarus and Uzbekistan focus on the markets of third countries to boost production cooperation. “This is the entire Central Asian region and also beyond it. The market of Afghanistan can also be considered for the sale of jointly produced goods,” the diplomat added.
