The Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Alikhan Smailov and Abdulla Aripov, met in Almaty to discuss strengthening cooperation in trade, economy, agriculture, transit transportation, and the gas industry, QazMonitor reports citing primeminister.kz.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed the implementation of the roadmap to increase bilateral trade turnover and the results of cooperation on industrial projects. Special attention was paid to expanding interstate water relations, including joint management and the use of transboundary water bodies.
Smailov noted that Uzbekistan is one of the largest trade partners of Kazakhstan. The volume of trade turnover for 2022 reached the planned milestone of $5 billion; mutual trade totaled $4.1 billion from January to November 2023.
"We have a task to scale the trade turnover up to $10 billion. Therefore, it is necessary to take systematic measures to expand trade and economic ties. The Government of Kazakhstan is ready for active joint work to achieve all the set goals," emphasized Smailov.
In turn, Aripov noted that the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is rapidly developing.
"The heads of our states have defined specific tasks for further developing multifaceted relations between the two countries. We are ready to take all necessary measures to fulfill these tasks together," said Aripov.