TASHKENT, 10 February (BelTA) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has completed the official visit to Uzbekistan. The head of state's plane took off from the Islam Karimov International Airport, BelTA has learned.
At the airport, the Belarusian leader was seen off by Uzbekistan Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov, Acting Khokim (Mayor) of Tashkent Shavkat Umurzakov.
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called the current official visit by Aleksandr Lukashenko historic. For several days, the heads of state discussed the future of bilateral relations in various formats.
On Wednesday, 7 February, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a hockey match between Tashkent club Humo and Astana Nomad. The match ended with a convincing victory for the host team.
The Forum of Regions of Belarus and Uzbekistan was held in Tashkent during the same days. The parties signed contracts for $80 million, though a couple of days later this sum almost doubled. As a result, the Belarusian delegation reached agreements for $150 million during its work in Tashkent.
The official talks between the two leaders took place on 8 February. According to the Uzbekistan president, in recent years the parties drastically changed the nature and content of Uzbek-Belarusian relations, and brought them to a qualitatively new level. "Never in the history of our relations has there been such mutual understanding, such tangible results," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
Yet, the heads of state suggested that the pace of development of relations could be faster. “We have an impressive economic agenda. I don't see any problems on the part of the president [of Uzbekistan]. We need to be more active in the sectors where we have underperformed. We need to be more proactive. I am addressing this to the ambassador in the first place. Make sure you are doing the utmost to keep going.”
According to him, the current trade of almost $600 million does not correspond to the potential, although it is still a record high.
“We need to aim for $1 billion in trade within the next year and a half,” the president emphasized. “We need to do a lot as long as there is agreement between governments and heads of state. We need to anchor our relations. Young people will come to power tomorrow, and they are different. They do not have this experience. Their path is different from ours. We keep everything in our memory. We should not waste this time.”
The head of state said that Belarus is ready to contribute to the modernization of Uzbekistan: “We have the technologies you need today and even tomorrow. There is no need to go around the world and ask for them. We offer them to you with an open heart, without demanding anything from you. We cannot demand anything from you as we are similar, equal. We cannot demand anything of each other. We can cooperate with each other only on a good-natured basis.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that Belarusians and Uzbeks are very similar: tolerant and flexible. “We feel no ill will towards anyone. We have no designs on anyone. Neither do we want to fight. We are hard-working people and are ready to seek and find our own happiness.”
On the same day the presidents toured the TEXNOPARK production complex in Tashkent. With 16 production facilities and a logistics center, TEXNOPARK is one of the most innovative, high-tech manufacturing complexes in Central Asia.
Aleksandr Lukashenko and Shavkat Mirziyoyev devoted the following day to cooperation in sport and tourism, one of the most important areas of humanitarian cooperation. The day before, the parties signed a program of cooperation in sport for 2024-2025 and an action plan for the development of cooperation in tourism.
The presidents visited the Amirsoy ski resort near Tashkent where they talked in an informal setting. Aleksandr Lukashenko toured the resort and skied down the slopes.
