Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – About 75 regions of Russia are cooperating with Uzbekistan, Nikolay Zhuravlev, deputy head of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, noted on 5 April 2021 during the INNOPROM exhibition in Tashkent.

He stressed that, despite the pandemic, in 2020 the Russian-Uzbek trade turnover amounted to $ 5.3 billion, and the volume of Russian exports to Uzbekistan increased by almost 20%.

N. Zhuravlev’s speech was made during the Main Plenary Session of the Interregional Forum within the framework of INNOPROM. He read out the welcoming address of the chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Valentina Matvienko, to the participants of the exhibition, in which it was noted that the upper house of the Russian parliament attaches particular importance to the development of interregional cooperation. It is supported, in particular, by an intensive inter-parliamentary dialogue, which contributes to the harmonization of legislation, which is being conducted, inter alia, within the framework of the CIS.

As N. Zhuravlev noted, Russian and international industrial companies are showing great interest in the Uzbek market and "the EAEU observer status will certainly give a new additional impetus to the development of business relations."

Speaking about the importance of direct ties at the regional level of the two countries, Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Sverdlovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara regions, which are active in interregional cooperation with Uzbekistan, are cited as examples.

“The intensification of the dialogue in the industrial sphere is especially relevant at a time when the economies of our countries are recovering from the pandemic,” N. Zhuravlev said. “The pandemic has shown once again that the main means of adapting any country to all kinds of challenges is, first of all, accelerating the scientific and technological process, increasing the share and role of science-intensive industries.”

He also stressed that an important component of successful work is the bilateral process of harmonization of national legislation, which is necessary, inter alia, for the formation of legal conditions for the stable development of industry.

“In the near future, a delegation of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis headed by Tanzila Narbaeva is expected to visit the Russian Federation, and we will continue this work,” said the deputy head of the upper house of the Russian parliament.

During the Main plenary session of the INNOPROM interregional dialogue, the heads of the regions of Russia and Uzbekistan, regional chambers of commerce and industry and companies discussed topical issues of interregional cooperation, presented investment projects in their regions, and shared their experience in working with international investors. In particular, the khokims of the Bukhara and Navoi regions of Uzbekistan, the governors of the Sverdlovsk, Ulyanovsk, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod regions of Russia presented their vision of the further development of interregional cooperation.