The President of Uzbekistan spoke in favor of further expansion of practical cooperation within the CIS

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States on October 10, held in the city Dushanbe.

The summit, chaired by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, was attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, 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, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, as well as CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev.

In accordance with the agenda, current issues of further expansion of practical interaction within the Commonwealth were considered.

At the beginning of his speech, the head of our state noted that despite the unpredictable processes in global politics and economics and weakening of the role of international institutions, the CIS continues to demonstrate its sustainability, efficiency and relevance.

Thanks to the mechanisms and contacts established over decades, close joint work is being carried out on the entire range of economic, social and humanitarian issues.

– We are interested in further strengthening cooperation within the CIS, as well as increasing the effectiveness of practical interaction with our countries natural partnerssaid the President of Uzbekistan.

Further, the leader of our country made a number of proposals and initiatives to further expand practical cooperation within the Commonwealth.

The unconditional priority of the Organization is the expansion of economic partnership, taking into account the deteriorating situation in the global economy, strengthening protectionism and the emergence of new challenges to sustainable development.

With satisfaction It was noted that the volume of trade turnover of Uzbekistan with partners in the CIS last year increased by 11 percent and this figure continues to grow this year. Such indicators are associated with the deepening of intersectoral cooperation and an increase in mutual investment flows.

In order to more fully utilize available resources and maintain the momentum and dynamics of cooperation, the President of Uzbekistan proposed concentrating joint efforts in the following priority areas.

First, the further formation of favorable conditions for increasing trade turnover.

The need to simplify procedures and requirements for the supply of certain goods, especially agricultural products and access to national markets, including government procurement, was emphasized.

Attention was also drawn to the advisability of launching mechanisms within the CIS Economic Council for rapid response to changes in the external environment and reorientation of trade flows, intensifying work on agreeing on draft agreements on technical barriers and recognizing assessment documents compliance.

Secondly, deepening interaction in the field of transport.

The still existing bottlenecks in the transport network in the CIS are noted, reducing the efficiency of existing corridors. In this regard, the creation of information and logistics centers integrated with all modes of transport is in demand.

Taking into account the importance of attracting private investment to modernize the cargo transportation infrastructure, a conference was initiated in Uzbekistan on expanding public-private partnerships in the transport sector.

Thirdly, stimulating the growth of mutual investments and supporting cooperation projects.

In this direction, it is proposed to prepare a “road map” for the support and development of special economic and industrial zones, the creation of a CIS Venture Platform to deepen cooperation and promote innovative startups with the involvement of business, and to hold an Innovation Industry Forum next year at the INNOPROM exhibition in Tashkent.

Fourth, the development of energy cooperation.

As the head of Uzbekistan noted, today, together with partners in the CIS, a number of large strategic projects are being implemented in the field of using traditional and alternative energy sources, including the construction of a nuclear power plant.

The President advocated the development and implementation of a long-term Program for the innovative development of the energy sector in the CIS countries.

Fifthly, cooperation in the field digitalization.

The leader of our country noted that the International Forum “Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies in the CIS”, held in August this year in Samarkand, showed growing mutual interest and opportunities for cooperation. In this regard, he proposed developing a multilateral Action Plan to deepen practical cooperation in this area.

The Head of State also drew special attention to the importance of expanding joint projects and programs in the field of science, education, culture and art.

– Taking into account the dynamic development of the educational sector and labor market in our countries, we advocate the preparation of a new Interstate Agreement on the mutual recognition of diplomas, qualifications and academic programs, the introduction of a Mechanism for the Harmonization of Professional Standards and Qualification Requirements - said the President.

We expressed readiness to host the CIS Youth Forum in Khiva next year with the inclusion on its agenda of the issue of creating a Youth Laboratory to form an innovative ecosystem and support creative
and the intellectual potential of the younger generation.

Touching on issues of regional security, the President drew attention to the importance of continuing systematic, close contacts between foreign policy departments and special services. The situation in Afghanistan requires special attention.

– Uzbekistan is strongly committed to ensuring long-term peace, stability and sustainable development in Afghanistan. In this regard, we propose to consider the possibility of joint participation in the implementation of major investment and infrastructure projects in this country, noted the leader of our country.

At the end of his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev supported the reappointment of Sergei Lebedev to the post of Secretary General of the CIS, and also wished the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov success in accepting the chairmanship of the Organization.

During the meeting, the heads of delegations of other Commonwealth countries also spoke.

As a result of the summit, a package of agreements and decisions was signed on priority areas of interaction within the CIS.

Official website of the President of the Republic Uzbekistan