Events

MINSK, 20 December (BelTA) – Belarus and Uzbekistan have signed a roadmap on intensifying mutual relations in trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian sectors in 2018 at the 5^th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation, BelTA has learned.

“We need to optimize and expand our economic relations. This means not only increasing the trade turnover but also setting up joint manufacturing facilities. In 2016-2017 we determined priorities in every area of cooperation, which would help us reach the trade of $500 million by 2020. Today we have signed a roadmap for 2018. The document outlines the priority areas for bilateral cooperation, including mechanical engineering, agro industry, construction and production of building materials, healthcare, production of medical products,” said Belarus’ Vice Premier Mikhail Rusy.

The priority cooperation goals for 2018 include the joint setting up of light industry clusters, the supply of mining equipment, and setting up of service centers. “Next year we plan to assemble about 1,000 BELARUS tractors in Uzbekistan. Amkodor has already set up a joint assembly plant at the Tashkent Agricultural Machinery Plant. We are also interested in the leather industry. We can process resources from Uzbekistan and make high-quality leather, footwear. We are also working on developing cooperation in the food industry - dried fruit, fruit and vegetables, confectionery, malt supplies. The roadmap provides for a plan of cooperation activities in every sector,” the vice minister said.

The parties also outlined an action plan on investment activity. “Belarus is famous for a high level of information technologies, mechanical engineering, construction, and we are aimed at developing cooperation in these areas. We will also be glad to attract investors from Belarus in such areas as pharmaceuticals, confectionery industry, and agriculture,” Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Nodir Otajonov said.

Apart from the roadmap, the parties also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Industry Ministry of Belarus and Uzeltehsanoat on joint activities in the electrical industry.

Instructions were also given to work out a new agreement on cooperation between Belarus and Uzbekistan through 2028. The work should be done before February 2018. “We will decide what we need to do now and what parameters we should reach in ten years’ time,” Mikhail Rusy stressed.