The President of Uzbekistan took part in the EAEU summit

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the regular meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on December 21 in St. Petersburg in the status of head observer state.

The current meeting, chaired by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, also included the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

C The heads of observer countries to the EAEU - President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian - addressed the participants with a video message. The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Budi Santoso, also took part as a representative of the invited state.

The agenda included issues of further expansion of multilateral trade and economic cooperation, support for industrial cooperation projects, development of transport, implementation of joint programs in priority areas of interaction.

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan noted that the further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation with the EAEU countries is one one of the priority areas of our country’s foreign economic policy.

Over the past four years of interaction in the status of an observer state, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the countries of the Union has almost doubled and approached the $20 billion mark.

The Cooperation Plan with the Eurasian Economic Commission until 2026 is being systematically implemented, including about 40 activities in such areas as trade, industry, financial sector, agriculture, transport and others. The fifth meeting of the joint Working Group is planned to be held next year in the city of Tashkent.

Uzbekistan actively participates in a number of EAEU industry programs in the field of digitalization of trade and cargo transportation, the introduction of e-commerce, and the fight against climate change.

At the current meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, a decision was made to begin negotiations on concluding an agreement on exchange of information about goods and vehicles moved across the customs borders of Uzbekistan and the EAEU.

- We are confident that cross-border data exchange will increase the efficiency of customs control, reduce delays and will contribute to the integration of our transport systems into Eurasian corridors, - emphasized the head of our state.

The President of Uzbekistan specifically focused on the priorities of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union.

In particular, he called for the gradual elimination of trade barriers in mutual trade. The need to intensify coordination between the institutions of the CIS and the EAEU was pointed out to bring closer approaches to technical regulation, sanitary and phytosanitary standards. In this context, the leader of Uzbekistan made a proposal to develop a “road map” to eliminate redundant procedures and unify requirements.

To quickly resolve issues related to differences in technical regulation, certification and customs administration, it was proposed to create a joint Coordination Group "Uzbekistan - EAEU" on tariff and non-tariff barriers.

In order to further expand industrial cooperation, the head of our state proposed to jointly create a list of projects in mechanical engineering, energy, agro-industrial complex, chemical and other industries.

In connection with Uzbekistan’s accession to the Eurasian Development Bank, it was proposed to jointly determine the strategic directions of partnership and develop a “road map” covering priority infrastructure and “green” projects, as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking about the development of cooperation in the field of digital technologies, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the priority is the digitalization of customs administration and the transition to a “seamless” model of freight transportation.

- We propose to prepare with the EEC a “road map” for connecting digital platforms, including e-commerce and digital labeling, the President of Uzbekistan noted.

Uzbekistan is interested in joining technological platforms EAEU, primarily in the areas of biomedicine, new materials, agricultural technologies, energy, robotics.

In order to stimulate tourist exchanges and ensure the interconnection of tourism products, the head of our state expressed readiness to join the formation of an integrated information resource in the field of tourism.

Concluding his speech, the leader of our state confirmed Uzbekistan’s strong commitment to expanding a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership with the Eurasian Economic Union.