TASHKENT, 8 February (BelTA) – Uzbekistan has a warm regard for Belarus and its people, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said following the talks with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.
"Uzbekistan has a warm regard for Belarus and its people. We sincerely rejoice at the achievements of your country in social and economic development. Despite the difficult situation, Belarus has ensured macroeconomic stability. The inflation has been restrained and household incomes are continuously growing," the Uzbekistan leader said.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that the peoples of the two countries have strong bonds of friendship and share a common past. Uzbeks and Belarusians have very similar mentality.
The president of Uzbekistan noted that during the official talks in Tashkent, the heads of state discussed in detail and in a trusting manner a wide range of issues of the cooperation and also international and regional agendas. Priorities and targets for the development of a multifaceted partnership have been identified.
In recent years, the countries have significantly stepped up their cooperation, implemented many joint projects and launched a direct air service.
The goal is to increase bilateral trade to $1 billion in the coming years. An agreement was reached to set up a joint foreign trade company and introduce an export support mechanism.
Plans are in place to create favorable conditions for cargo transportation and logistics.
The focus during the talks was on projects and cooperation in such sectors as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, industry and technology, agriculture, IT, urban planning and utilities, education, culture, sports, and tourism.
In the future, working groups will be set up for cooperation in various areas and roadmaps will be adopted. The parties also agreed to maximize the potential of the regions, which are expected to drive trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation between Belarus and Uzbekistan.
In the field of healthcare, the parties identified 10 specific areas of cooperation such as children's health, cardiology, oncology, hematology and others.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that there is not a single unresolvable issue on the bilateral agenda.
