Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The III Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan was held in Kazan (Tatarstan) on 4 October 2023.

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojaev, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov took part in the forum.

During the forum, Denis Manturov read out a welcoming speech from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The welcoming speech, in particular, says: “The focus is on various aspects of interaction in the fields of industry, trade, transport, logistics, tourism and youth policy. There are already good advances in all these areas, and now an important task is to find new, promising forms and methods of joint work, including by coordinating “road maps” with specific measures for the development of interregional ties, clearly defining the time frame for their implementation.”

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojaev, who also took part in the forum, read out the welcoming speech of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The welcoming speech, in particular, says: “Industrial cooperation is expanding in the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical, fuel and energy, mining and metallurgical, agricultural, textile and other industries. Russia remains one of Uzbekistan’s main trading partners. In order to further increase trade turnover, we are constantly and systematically working to mutually eliminate barriers in this area and are expanding e-commerce. We have great opportunities to deepen investment cooperation. To do this, we call for more active use of the advantages of the technology parks being created, as well as new instruments of financial support, in particular, the recently established Industrial Development Fund of Uzbekistan.”

The head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, noted that Tatarstan, in turn, values the opportunity to expand interaction with Uzbekistan within the framework of friendly Russian-Uzbek relations: “A special merit in this goes to the presidents of our states - Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It is a great honor for us to receive representative delegations from the regions of our countries in Kazan today. Establishing and strengthening direct business contacts and practical interaction between regions is an important component of interstate relations.”

The forum was moderated by Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Dmitry Volvach.

“For the third year we have been holding a forum to expand practical cooperation between the regions of Russia and Uzbekistan, business circles and organizations. This forum is one of the largest bilateral public events in the economic sphere. This is confirmed by more than 3 thousand participants from 20 regions of Russia and 14 regions of Uzbekistan,” he noted.

At the forum, in the presence of Denis Manturov and Jamshid Khodjaev, 3 interregional and 7 commercial agreements were signed in different industries. Thus, action plans were signed to develop cooperation between the government of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the khokimiyat of the Fergana and Jizzakh regions (Republic of Uzbekistan) for 2023–2025, as well as between the government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the khokimiyat of the Surkhandarya region (Republic of Uzbekistan). These documents include such aspects as the development of joint projects, holding events and organizing export supplies.

Among the commercial agreements are a signed memorandum between the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian marketplace Wildberries on cooperation in the field of online trading, as well as a memorandum of understanding between the khokimiyat of Tashkent region and the marketplace on cooperation in the construction of a multimodal logistics center in the Tashkent region; a memorandum of understanding between the Tashkent khokimiyat and the Russian company Management Company HMS Group on interaction in the exchange of technical and technological experience in water supply and sanitation; agreement between Tashkent Metro and TMH International on the supply of metro cars from Russia. 

In addition, within the framework of the forum, a memorandum was signed on the development of direct cooperation in the field of information technology, the creation of an independent ecosystem, the exchange of international experience, joint integration with international markets between the technology park in the field of high technologies "IT Park" (Russian Federation) and the "Directorate of the Technological park of software products and information technologies" (Republic of Uzbekistan); a memorandum of understanding and development of e-commerce, as well as improving the mechanisms of cross-border trade and development of entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan between the Russian marketplace “Ozon” and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan; as well as a comprehensive program of action between the Russian-Uzbek and Uzbek-Russian business councils to expand cooperation between business communities.