Discussion on expanding interregional cooperation with Belarus

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the implementation of agreements reached during his visit to Belarus to expand interregional cooperation.

During the official visit of the Head of State to Belarus on July 8-9, important agreements were reached to increase mutual trade to $2 billion, as well as to implement 310 joint projects and activities worth a total of $2 billion in mechanical engineering, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, the textile industry, wood processing and healthcare.

The Head of State emphasized the importance of putting the agreements into practice within a short timeframe, establishing new enterprises and jobs, and creating the necessary conditions for the development of entrepreneurship.

Industrial facilities and state-owned property have been proposed for the placement of investment projects in Belarus, and the country has extensive agricultural land. Belarus’s agricultural land totals 8 million hectares and accounts for around 40 percent of its territory.

These opportunities create a solid foundation for organizing joint production facilities, developing agricultural cooperation, expanding business ties, and ensuring the organized employment of citizens.

In particular, the need was noted to compile lists of citizens and entrepreneurs wishing to work or do business in Belarus and to send them to the country in an organized manner, after coordinating and resolving with the Belarusian side issues related to jobs, living conditions, and the allocation of premises and land plots required for projects.

During the presentation, information was provided on the work carried out as part of cooperation between Andijan and Vitebsk regions.

A roadmap has been approved between the two regions, and the implementation of specific initiatives has already begun. In particular, 255 residents of Andijan region were sent and employed in Vitebsk region in an organized manner.

In addition, an agreement has been reached to implement new projects based on 11 livestock complexes. Each of them is designed to keep between 200 and 3,000 head of cattle and has sufficient fodder land.

With the participation of the company Andijon Invest, measures are being taken to launch investment and social initiatives based on a large livestock complex and a sanatorium.

Overall, a package of 30 new projects worth more than $100 million has been formed in Vitebsk and other regions of Belarus across livestock farming, wood processing, logistics, trade, and services.

In particular, plans include the establishment of a large dairy complex designed for 3,000 head of cattle, several medium-sized livestock farms, and an enterprise for deep wood processing and the production of pellets from wood waste.

The President of the country instructed that the cooperation model established between Andijan and Vitebsk regions be extended to other regions as well.

In particular, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Namangan, Tashkent, Fergana, Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions will be assigned to Vitebsk, Mogilev, Grodno, Gomel and Brest regions of Belarus. Separate roadmaps will be approved for creating new production facilities based on industrial and agricultural sites, implementing entrepreneurial projects and ensuring employment.

Issues related to the creation of modern logistics infrastructure were also considered to boost mutual trade and reduce cargo transportation costs.

By the end of the year, it is planned, in cooperation with Belarusian Railways, to commission an intermodal logistics center at Orsha station in Vitebsk region, which will handle export and import cargo under preferential tariff conditions.

In addition, the task was set to establish direct block-train services between the two countries jointly with Belarusian companies.

Particular attention was paid to issues related to the organized employment of citizens.

At the first stage, it is planned to employ 1,100 citizens of Uzbekistan on a competitive basis at 13 enterprises in Vitebsk and other regions of Belarus.

Starting in September, it is planned to provide permanent jobs in Vitebsk region for 500 residents of Andijan region each month, for a total of 5,000. To this end, a representative office of the Migration Agency will be opened in the city of Vitebsk.

The task was set to assist entrepreneurs in opening bank accounts in Belarus, transferring funds to charter capital and attracting financial resources for their projects.

Instructions were given to allocate, on preferential terms, the funds required to establish a modern dairy complex, a wood processing plant and a logistics company in Vitebsk.

The Head of State emphasized that every agreement reached must be translated into a specific project, a new enterprise, additional trade volume and decent jobs.

Responsible officials were directed to systematically oversee the implementation of the agreements and to critically analyze the execution of the roadmaps.