President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev is on a state visit to Kyrgyzstan. The attention of the public not only in the two countries, but also in the neighboring countries of the region is drawn to this event. Shavkat Ismailov, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Ethnocultural Association of Astana, a member of the Council of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, outlined his vision on the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Bishkek.
January 27 is the second day of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Following the results of the business forum "Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan" held on January 26, 2023, 10 documents were signed for a total amount of more than 1.6 billion dollars.
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are planning to bring the trade turnover to "billion of dollars". This was stated by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, head of the presidential administration Akylbek Zhaparov during a bilateral business forum in Bishkek.
According to him, following the results of 11 months of 2022, the trade turnover between the two states amounted to $543.2 million. Compared to the same period in 2021, it increased by 21 percent.
“Of course, these are not the limit figures for bilateral trade of strategic partners. I hope that in the near future the trade turnover will reach billions of dollars. We need to intensify contacts between manufacturers and its associations, chambers of commerce and other business associations of our countries. At the same time, it is necessary to effectively build cooperation mechanisms, minimizing bureaucracy and developing direct contacts between business circles, ensuring the free movement of goods and investments,” Zhaparov emphasized.
He also added that the countries have a rich potential to achieve comprehensive trade and economic cooperation. There are currently 60 enterprises with the participation of Uzbek capital in Kyrgyzstan, including 22 JVs and 38 with the full participation of Uzbek capital.
According to Zhaparov, Uzbekistan is a reliable neighbor for Kyrgyzstan, a fraternal state and a strategic partner.
Today, relations between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have acquired a completely new political and friendly format, which contributes to the progressive and comprehensive development of relations, the growth of mutual trust between our countries, as well as in the Central Asian region. The main priorities and targets today are to increase the volume of mutual trade, cooperation between leading enterprises and business, the efficient use and increase of transit potential, cooperation in the fields of water use and energy, interregional cooperation, as well as the intensification of cultural and humanitarian exchanges in order to bring fraternal peoples closer .
Thanks to the political will of the two presidents, many issues of the delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border, which for over 30 years has been a serious aspect in matters of cooperation between the border regions of the two countries, have been resolved.
Today, January 27, in addition to a number of official meetings, meetings with representatives of the Uzbek diaspora in Kyrgyzstan are expected.
I want to note that more than a million Uzbeks live in Kyrgyzstan, mainly in the south of the country, and more than 300,000 Kyrgyz live in Uzbekistan. Today, the development of ties with countries of historical origin has great potential for cultural, humanitarian, scientific, educational cooperation, tourism development and regional infrastructure projects, especially in border areas.
When neighbors live in peace and harmony, it is easier for them to solve any problems that affect common interests - from regional security issues to the implementation of large-scale projects in the field of energy, water use, agriculture, engineering, etc. Today, the dialogue between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is acquiring the status of a strategic partnership, and the leaders of the countries are determined to develop allied relations.
“We have been neighbors for many centuries, and we will always remain so,” this simple truth has become the basis of political cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Shafkat Ismailov,
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 27, 2023