Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyyevich!

Dear colleagues!

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the President of Turkmenistan, esteemed Serdar Gurbangulyyevich Berdimuhamedov, for the warm welcome and excellent organization of our summit.

Each time, the beautiful appearance of Avaza demonstrates the powerful dynamics of Turkmenistan's development.

I would especially like to note Ashgabat's successful chairmanship of the CIS, which proved particularly eventful.

I warmly congratulate everyone on the momentous occasion – the 35th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

Over these years, much has changed in our countries and in the world. But the most important thing has remained unchanged: we are bound by close human relations, a shared history and enormous potential for cooperation, which it is important to use today in the interests of our peoples.

Distinguished participants of the meeting!

Today the world is undergoing a serious transformation. Tensions are rising, traditional economic ties are being reconfigured.

In such a situation, it is especially important to strengthen trust, to compare positions more often, and to ensure that our agreements deliver real results.

The experience of our countries shows that economic integration and industrial cooperation remain among the main foundations of resilience and development.

That is why we consider it necessary to make full use of the combined potential of our states and to take trade and investment partnership to a new level.

We need to move gradually from the simple exchange of goods to the joint creation of full-fledged value chains. This means that we must produce together, invest, create new technologies and enter foreign markets with our own products.

It is precisely this kind of cooperation that yields the most tangible results: new enterprises, new jobs and growth in citizens' incomes.

I would like to outline a number of priority areas on which we should focus our joint efforts.

First of all, it is necessary to ensure the full functioning of the Free Trade Area without restrictions.

It is very important to eliminate technical barriers, ensure mutual recognition of conformity certificates, and expand access to public procurement.

Another issue that directly affects the resilience of our economies and the well-being of people is food security.

We look forward to the early agreement and approval of the Agreement on Expanding Mutual Access in Public Procurement of Agricultural Products, as well as the Programme of Cooperation in Food Security.

I also consider it important to make our markets more predictable. To this end, we propose introducing a Mechanism for Advance Notification and Consultations before the introduction of restrictions on exports of food and fertilizers. This will make it possible to understand potential risks in advance and avoid situations in which one country's decisions unexpectedly affect the markets of other states.

The next important area concerns combining our industrial capabilities and expanding mutual investment.

The INNOPROM. Central Asia exhibition and the fifth International Investment Forum held in Tashkent once again demonstrated the high interest of business in working together. This interest must be supported with new opportunities.

We propose paying particular attention to special economic zones. Our goal is to link the existing special economic zones and industrial parks of the Commonwealth countries into a single network. We look forward to the early agreement of the Roadmap on supporting the activities of special economic zones.

I would like to particularly address the transport connectivity of our countries. We advocate for the creation of integrated logistics centres, a substantial reduction in transit costs, unification of freight transportation rules, and the formation of a unified transport information system in the CIS.

We support the initiative of our Turkmen friends to declare 2029 the Year of Transport Connectivity of the Commonwealth.

Energy security is becoming no less important.

Today we need a long-term forecast of the development of the region's energy connectivity for the coming decades. It should give a clear understanding of where and when seasonal energy surpluses and shortages arise, which networks need to be developed, and how to most effectively combine hydropower, thermal generation and renewable sources.

With these tasks in mind, we have developed the Programme for Innovative Development of the CIS Energy Sector and the Action Plan for its implementation.

Another challenge common to all of us is climate change.

Coordinated and practical solutions are needed here. We advocate the accelerated introduction of low-carbon technologies and the development of closed-loop production.

To combine our efforts, we propose developing a CIS Concept of Cooperation in Resource-Efficient and Circular Economy.

Dear colleagues!

Cultural and humanitarian ties serve as a solid foundation for mutual understanding and strengthening of trust between our peoples.

We see good opportunities for further development of this area through expanding the format of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

We propose paying special attention to the creative industries, which are rapidly changing today under the influence of new technologies and becoming an independent and important part of the modern economy.

In this regard, we propose organizing the Forum on Cultural Policy and Creative Industries.

These days, ancient Khiva is preparing to host the CIS Youth Forum. I am confident that it will become a platform where young people can fully realize their creative and intellectual potential.

Dear heads of delegations!

Among contemporary challenges, I would separately like to address a problem whose scale is growing rapidly throughout the world – cybercrime.

Fraud by using information technologies is already causing serious damage to citizens and businesses and creates risks for the stable operation of the financial systems of our countries.

In this regard, we propose instructing the Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs to develop, in the shortest possible time, a set of measures for establishing a CIS Joint Contact Centre for prompt response to transnational cybercrimes and fraudulent schemes.

Dear colleagues!

Next year, Uzbekistan assumes the chairmanship of the CIS.

We are committed to close joint work to further strengthen the Commonwealth and achieve concrete results that our citizens will feel.

I invite you next year to the following meeting of the Council, which we plan to hold in Bukhara.

And in conclusion, I would like once again to thank the President of Turkmenistan, esteemed Serdar Gurbangulyyevich Berdimuhamedov, for the hospitality and the high level of organization of the summit.

I am confident that today's agreements will receive practical follow-up, and that our cooperation will continue to serve the interests of our countries and peoples.