Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 29 April 2025, the First Forum of the Regions of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held in Tashkent, initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This event marked a historic milestone for the CIS.

Delegations from CIS member states and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth participated in the forum.

In his welcoming speech, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev emphasized the importance of strengthening mutually beneficial interregional partnerships and building sustainable business ties based on trust and shared experience, as a key element in the development of the economies of CIS countries.

Over the last five years, Uzbekistan’s foreign trade with CIS countries has nearly doubled, reaching more than US$23 billion in 2024. Around 5,500 enterprises with capital from CIS countries operate in Uzbekistan’s regions.

Joint efforts have led to the implementation of major investment and infrastructure projects across various CIS regions. More than 130 special economic zones and cross-border trade zones are in operation to stimulate intraregional trade within the Commonwealth.

Since the start of its partnership, approximately 6,000 bilateral interregional agreements have been signed within the CIS.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan also reaffirmed the country’s commitment to continuing deep economic transformation, creating a favorable investment and business environment, and increasing foreign economic activity. He proposed several measures to stimulate trade, including the active use of the Free Trade Area Agreement, eliminating barriers for goods and services, digitizing trade procedures, and promoting cooperation and import substitution projects with active involvement from the regions.

The forum featured speeches from Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Tajikistan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Khokim Kholikzoda, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Zhanell Kushukova, Kyrgyzstan’s First Deputy Minister of Economy Choro Seyitov, as well as regional leaders from CIS countries.

As part of the business program, B2B meetings were held where participants discussed prospective areas for bilateral cooperation and exchanged business contacts.

At the conclusion of the forum, more than 10 documents were signed aimed at strengthening friendly ties, developing trade-economic, scientific-technical, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, as well as creating roadmaps for further deepening and expanding collaboration between the regions of the CIS countries.