Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  On 22 October 2024, during the Uzbek-Kazakh Interregional Forum held in Samarkand, a meeting took place between entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The delegations were led by Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliev.

The event was attended by heads of ministries, agencies, regional administrations, and more than 200 major companies from both countries.

In his opening remarks, Laziz Kudratov emphasized the importance of the traditionally good-neighborly and strategic relations between the two countries, which positively impact their trade and economic interaction.

Over the past seven years, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has increased from $2 billion to $4.4 billion in 2023, reaching $3 billion in the first nine months of 2024.

There are around 1,100 enterprises with Kazakh capital operating in Uzbekistan, engaged in industries such as processing, food production, textiles, and building materials.

Particular attention was paid to developing partnerships at the interregional level. Promising areas include agriculture, the agro-industrial sector, textile production, consumer goods, and the exchange of experience and technology.

Forum participants noted the prospects related to the launch of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation "Central Asia" in the Syrdarya region.

The Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan expressed readiness to support entrepreneurs at all stages of project implementation.

In turn, Arman Shakkaliev underscored the significance of interregional cooperation and urged entrepreneurs to actively engage, highlighting the results of mutual visits by business delegations to the regions of both countries.

During the meeting, B2B negotiations took place, resulting in the signing of 33 cooperation agreements between the regions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. These agreements will strengthen direct ties, implement joint projects, and increase mutual supplies of finished products.