Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 29 July, the 3rd meeting of the Uzbek-Bangladesh intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was held in Dhaka.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev and Minister of Trade of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Tipu Munshi.

The dialogue was also attended by the heads of key ministries and departments, industry associations, diplomatic missions of both countries.

The current state and prospects for the development of trade and economic partnership, industrial cooperation and cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere were discussed.

The parties agreed to take comprehensive measures to restore trade relations, including expanding the range of goods, removing trade barriers, organizing mutual exhibitions and fairs, and speeding up the signing of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between the countries, which will significantly expand bilateral trade and bring economic partnership to a qualitatively new level. level.

Touching upon the prospects for the development of industrial cooperation, the parties agreed to activate the Agreement on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments and stimulate the creation of joint ventures for the production of products with high added value. In this context, it is planned to develop a Program of Industrial Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Bangladesh until 2023, which provides for the implementation of projects in such priority areas as IT technologies, the leather industry, the creation of textile clusters for the production of finished products, including in the free economic zones of Uzbekistan.

In order to increase cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals, the parties agreed on the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry of Uzbekistan and the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association, which implies the simplification of registration of medicines of Uzbek and Bangladeshi production in the territories of the two countries.

It was decided to develop and approve the Program of joint research in the field of food security, including seed production, indicating specific activities and implementation mechanisms, as well as speed up the signing of the Agreement on cooperation in the field of plant quarantine.

The sides also focused on the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In connection with the significant date - the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Bangladesh, it was agreed to hold the Days of Culture of Uzbekistan in Bangladesh and the Days of Culture of Bangladesh in Uzbekistan during 2022. In addition, it is planned to intensify cooperation in the field of tourism, including the use of the tourism infrastructure of Uzbekistan for the transit of Bangladeshi pilgrims under the Umrah + program.

As a result of the meeting, an appropriate protocol was adopted, reflecting the discussed initiatives, agreements reached and specific deadlines for their implementation, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan reports.