Rakhmatulla Nazarov
MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) - Thanks to the active dialogue at the highest level, Uzbek-Belarusian cooperation has reached a high level, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov said during a roundtable "Uzbekistan and Belarus, a time-tested partnership" in BelTA’s press center.
The diplomat stressed that cooperation with Belarus is important for Uzbekistan. Last year, the countries celebrated 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations. "In a short historical period, Tashkent and Minsk have built really close, trusting ties," Ambassador Rakhmatulla Nazarov said.
"In recent years, Uzbek-Belarusian cooperation has reached an even higher level, which made it possible to unlock great untapped reserves in cooperation. This was mainly facilitated by friendly and fraternal relations between the leaders of the two states: Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Aleksandr Lukashenko," Ambassador Rakhmatulla Nazarov stressed.
The parties have exchanged visits over the past six years. For example, in September 2018 the Belarusian president visited Tashkent, and in August 2019, the Uzbekistan leader traveled to Minsk. In addition, the leaders of the two countries regularly interact within the framework of international organizations: the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the CIS and the EAEU and other international organizations.
The ambassador called the recent official visit of Aleksandr Lukashenko to Uzbekistan historic. "The preparations for the visit were colossal," the diplomat said, noting that the summit was preceded by extended negotiations with the participation of ministers, heads of regions and industries of the two countries. "Uzbekistan was buzzing with the news about the Belarusian president’s visit to Uzbekistan," Ambassador Rakhmatulla Nazarov said.
The second Forum of Regions and the meeting of the Business Council, which brought together more than 350 representatives of business and regions, were a success, the ambassador noted. "More than 100 documents were signed as a result. Among them were investment agreements, export and import contracts. In early February, a large business delegation of about 100 people visited Belarus on the initiative of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Events were held in all regions, with multimillion-dollar contracts signed," the ambassador added.
Uzbekistan looks forward to successful implementation of the agreements reached. "The leaders of our countries have set the task of bringing mutual trade to $1 billion. I think we will succeed in achieving this goal,” the ambassador noted.
