The 16th meeting of the Uzbek-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission takes place in Tashkent

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tashkent hosted the 16th meeting of the Uzbek-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan S. Umurzakov and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan E. Orazgeldyev.

The agenda of the meeting was based on a wide range of issues of cooperation in investment, trade and economic, industrial, energy, agricultural, water management, scientific and technical, transport and transit and cultural and humanitarian spheres.

The IGC Co-Chairs in their speeches noted the commitment of the Governments of the two countries to strengthening constructive, long-term and mutually beneficial relations, as well as special attention given to the development of economic partnership between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Positive trends in trade and economic cooperation were noted. As of the current moment, 160 enterprises with the participation of Turkmen capital operate in Uzbekistan, and the volume of trade between the two countries in the first half of this year increased by 20 percent compared to the same period last year.

The parties agreed on the need for the active development of industrial cooperation and the formation of continuous value chains, taking into account the comparative advantages of the economies of the two countries. An agreement was reached to intensify the development of new projects for the creation of industries in the agro-industrial complex, textile, leather and footwear industries, production of cars, electrical appliances and building materials. An agreement was reached to develop and adopt a "Road Map" for the development of industrial cooperation, which includes specific projects.

Further joint actions are planned to promote mutual trade - the parties expressed their readiness to implement practical measures to ensure stable supplies of Uzbek and Turkmen products to the markets of the two countries and to bring the volume of Uzbek-Turkmen trade to US$1 billion in the near future. The development of these proposals will be regularly dealt with by a joint working group at the level of deputy ministers of the foreign trade departments of the two countries. Also, in the near future, the approval of the draft Agreement on the establishment and regulation of the activities of the Uzbek-Turkmen border trade zone will be completed.

Particular attention was paid to increasing transport connectivity between the two countries - the parties came to a common opinion to develop and take joint measures for the further development of transport corridors, providing for the phased resumption of flights, the provision of mutual tariff preferences for 2022, the prospects for using the infrastructure of the seaport "Turkmenbashi" and other initiatives.

During the event, the participants of the meeting also made speeches - heads of ministries and departments of the two countries, who outlined their vision of further steps for cooperation in a particular industry.

As a result of the IGC, a number of important agreements were reached on further practical cooperation in the fields of energy, oil and gas sector, chemical and automotive industries, agriculture and water management, ecology, science, education, sports and tourism.

At the end, the protocol of the 16th meeting of the Uzbek-Turkmen IGC was signed, which reflected the agreements reached during the event, as well as key areas for further deepening the multifaceted partnership between the two states.