ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held an informal meeting with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on April 5 in Khiva, reported Akorda.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Photo credit: gov.kz
Tokayev commended the development of bilateral cooperation in all areas, emphasizing the meeting’s symbolism in Khiva, a treasury of Islamic civilization and architecture.
He highlighted the ongoing progress in implementing roadmaps, signed agreements, and trade contracts. Mutual trade between the countries reached $4.4 billion last year, he added.
The portfolio includes 60 joint projects in industry, energy, transport and logistics, and agriculture, worth over $2.5 billion in investment and creating more than 13,000 jobs. The construction of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation is well underway.
Recognizing the importance of the Kazakh-Uzbek tandem, Tokayev supported the adoption of a Strategic Partnership and Alliance Program between the countries until 2034.
While Tokayev’s visit was short, it was not short of its outcomes. The talks also covered the upcoming sixth consultative meeting of the heads of Central Asian states and the region’s interaction in a C5+1 format.
The leaders of the two nations welcomed initiatives to fortify regional cooperation, including the creation of a joint venture between the railway administrations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This venture is set to facilitate the organization of freight transportation along the China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan route, promising to bolster bilateral trade and increase the volume of goods transported.
The agreement also involves the mutual provision of freight terminals at the Kazakhstan-China border and within Uzbekistan, which are expected to enhance the capacity for cargo shipments significantly. By improving the infrastructure for trade and transportation, the project is poised to create favorable conditions for increased freight traffic, particularly towards the south.
The joint venture is slated to play a crucial role in the development of the Trans-Afghan route, which could serve as a vital corridor for trade and economic development in the region.
Javlon Vakhabov, managing director of the International Institute for Central Asia, quoted President Tokayev in his post in X, saying “Kazakh-Uzbek tandem is a vital need and only by standing together” the countries can ensure sustainable development of the countries.
During the visit, the presidents toured the Hiva Gilamlari carpet weaving factory, one of Uzbekistan’s exemplary light industry enterprises, and an exhibition of industrial goods.
Both leaders noted the importance of creating export-oriented enterprises in border areas, stressing the need for joint measures, including planting trees on the Aral Sea bed to improve the environmental situation in the region.
