The President of Uzbekistan outlined the priorities of full-scale cooperation between Central Asia and Russia

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the second summit in the “Central Asia - Russia” format on October 9, held in the city Dushanbe.

The event, chaired by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, was attended by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov and the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

In accordance with the agenda, issues of further development of multilateral partnership, expansion of cooperation in the political, trade-economic, investment and cultural-humanitarian spheres, as well as current aspects of the international and regional agenda were considered.

At the beginning of his speech, the head of our state expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his commitment to developing a full-scale strategic partnership with Central Asia, supporting initiatives aimed at giving new dynamics to the interaction of our countries that are natural partners.

– Russia was, is and will always be a key, priority strategic partner and ally for us. The strong, unshakable basis of such cooperation is a common history, centuries-old ties, cultural and mental closeness of our peoples, friendly and trusting relations between our countries, said the leader of Uzbekistan.

It was noted that growing geopolitical tension and crisis phenomena in the global economy, as well as emerging new challenges and threats require closer coordination and cooperation in the “Central Asia - Russia” format.

In this context, the leader of Uzbekistan outlined his vision of the prospects for interaction between the countries of the region and Russia.

First of all, the importance of strengthening systemic political dialogue and expanding practical cooperation focused on specific results was emphasized. In this context, the President of Uzbekistan spoke in favor of holding annual high-level meetings, regular contacts between governments, ministries, departments and regions.

Having expressed support for the adoption of the Joint Action Plan until 2027, the President of Uzbekistan proposed preparing a more detailed “road map” with specific measures to deepen practical interaction.

In order to ensure timely implementation instructions, preparation and acceleration of the implementation of programs and projects of regional significance, the importance of establishing a Coordination Council at the level of deputy heads of government was noted.

The main direction of joint work between the region and Russia should be a radical expansion of economic partnership. The positive dynamics of mutual trade indicators were noted with satisfaction. In particular, based on the results of last year and this year, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with Russia and the countries of the region increased to 15 percent.

It was proposed, within the framework of the activities of the above-mentioned Coordination Council, to develop comprehensive measures aimed at increasing the volume of trade turnover.

We are talking about facilitating mutual access to commodity markets, simplifying procedures, launching a project "Agroexpress Central Asia - Russia".

The head of Uzbekistan also emphasized the vital importance of the effective use of the transit and transport potential of our countries, primarily within the framework of the North-South corridor.

– We advocate the coupling of national programs in the field of road, rail and aviation communications and the development on this basis of a comprehensive plan for infrastructure partnership - the Transport and Logistics Contour of our countries. The ultimate goal should be the formation of an integrated, interconnected regional transport infrastructure that is resistant to external challenges, the President noted.

Another priority area is the building of sustainable production chains and deepening industrial cooperation. In this context, it was noted that today Uzbekistan is actively expanding industrial partnership with leading Russian companies, major strategic projects are being implemented in the gas chemical industry, a modern copper processing hub is being created.

At the same time, huge reserves are pointed out for increasing cooperation in the field of mechanical engineering, precision instrument making, chemical, electrical engineering, mining and other industries in the cluster basis.

To stimulate innovation-oriented cooperation between leading enterprises and the private sector, the creation of the Industrial Engineering Hub “Central Asia - Russia” was initiated in the city of Bukhara, which can become a unique technological platform for the development, implementation and replication of advanced engineering solutions.

The leader of our country noted the importance of maximizing the capabilities of the exhibition and forum “Innoprom. Central Asia" in Tashkent.

The fifth exhibition, held in April of this year, brought together over 10 thousand participants from 35 countries. Deals worth $5 billion have been concluded. It is proposed to give this event the status of the main industrial and innovation platform in the format of the “Central Asia – Russia” dialogue.

As the head of Uzbekistan emphasized, energy cooperation with Russia will continue to be a factor in the stability and sustainability of the region. Today, strategic projects are being implemented, including the development of gas pipelines and energy infrastructure.

– These days a historical event will take place - the implementation of joint projects for the construction of the first reactor installation of the future nuclear power plant and the multifunctional Center for Nuclear Medicine in Uzbekistan will be launched,the President said.

It is proposed to establish broad scientific and practical cooperation in in this direction - to establish a Regional Competence Center for Nuclear Energy in Uzbekistan, as well as to adopt a Personnel Training Program on the basis of the Tashkent branch of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute.

The intention was also declared to expand cooperation in the field of exploration and processing of hydrocarbons, modernization of the electric power industry, and implementation of energy-efficient solutions.

In order transfer of advanced knowledge and technologies, preparation and promotion of joint projects, the feasibility of developing a comprehensive Program “Energy Partnership of Central Asia and Russia” was indicated.

In the field of innovation, it was proposed to open branches of the Skolkovo center in the countries of the region.

The need for the establishment of a Regional Expert Council on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies was also noted, which will consolidate efforts and establish project cooperation at the level of leading centers, organizations and IT companies.

For the purpose In order to build up humanitarian interaction, an annual ethnocultural forum was initiated - the Festival of Culture, Art and Creativity of the Peoples of Central Asia and Russia.

In addition, it was proposed to launch the scientific and educational Consortium “Engineers of the Future”, designed to combine the potential of leading universities and research structures to introduce a system of dual and vocational education and implement fundamental scientific developments. It was noted that the intellectual base of the Consortium could be successfully operating branches of Russian universities in the countries of the region. In Uzbekistan, their number is already 15.

It is also proposed to establish a Special Grant Program for young researchers and scientists from Central Asia and Russia.

For the development of comprehensive cooperation, the relevance of adopting programs in the field of child and maternal health, promoting social adaptation in the field of labor migration, as well as expanding the tourist flow based on regional routes is outlined.

The President of Uzbekistan specifically focused on issues of ensuring regional security.

– We consider it important to continue to increase close cooperation between special services and law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism, extremism, radicalism, organized crime, human trafficking and drug trafficking. We propose to jointly develop measures to counter new cyber threats and challengessaid the leader of our country.

In order to coordinate approaches to expanding cooperation and promoting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan, it was proposed to consider the possibility of holding high-level consultations. The agenda of these meetings could include issues of interaction in the field of security, the implementation of economic projects designed to ensure the stability and development of this country.

At the end of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan reiterated his commitment to further expanding multifaceted cooperation with Russia in the interests of ensuring security, sustainable development and prosperity of all countries in the region.

Leaders of other countries also spoke during the summit.

Following the results of the event, a Joint Communiqué and a Joint Action Plan for 2025 - 2027 for the further development of cooperation in priority areas were adopted.

Official website of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan