MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) – At the invitation of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a visit to the state residence Zaslavl on 31 July, BelTA has learned.
The heads of state took a walk around the residence and exchanged presents. Aleksandr Lukashenko gave his Uzbek counterpart a picture titled “Belarusian” and the Belarusian embroidered shirt (vyshyvanka), while his son Nikolai presented the Uzbekistan president with a statuette of a bison. Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave the Belarusian head of state a statuette of a hockey player.
The presidents also held informal talks in a carved garden house which Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented to Aleksandr Lukashenko during his official visit to Uzbekistan in 2018.
The president of Uzbeksitan arrived in Belarus on an official visit on 31 July. The two heads of state are set to meet at the Palace of Independence on 1 August. Aleksandr Lukashenko and Shavkat Mirziyoyev will talk over prospects for joint projects in mechanical engineering, light industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, transport and IT. Close attention will be paid to interregional ties, industrial cooperation and creation of favorable conditions for mutual trade in goods and services.
The presidents are expected to attend the exhibition of Uzbekistan products, which is currently underway in the Belarusian capital. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is also scheduled to visit the Hi-Tech Park.
In January-June 2019 bilateral trade made up $113.1 million (up 25.3% year-on-year), with Belarusian merchandise export at $88.8 million (up 28.3%). Import from Uzbekistan went up by 15.6% to $24.3 million.