President of Uzbekistan takes part in the EAEU Summit in Saint Petersburg

On December 21, in Saint Petersburg, President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part, in the status of an observer head of state, in the regular meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press service of the Head of our State, the meeting, chaired by President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, was also attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov and President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Video messages were delivered to participants by the heads of the EAEU observer states: President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian. The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Budi Santoso, also took part as a representative of the invited state.

The agenda included issues related to the expansion of multilateral trade and economic cooperation, support for industrial cooperation projects, transport development and the implementation of joint programs in priority areas of cooperation.

President of Uzbekistan noted that further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation with the EAEU member states is a key priority of the country’s foreign economic policy.

Over the past four years of observer status, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the Union’s member states has nearly doubled, reaching almost $20 billion.

The Cooperation Plan with the Eurasian Economic Commission through 2026 is being implemented systematically. It includes approximately 40 activities across trade, industry, the financial sector, the agro-industrial complex, transport and other sectors. The fifth meeting of the joint Working Group is scheduled for next year in Tashkent.

Uzbekistan is actively participating in several EAEU sectoral programs in trade and freight digitalization, e-commerce and climate change mitigation.

At the current meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, a decision was adopted to begin negotiations to establish a mechanism for exchanging information on goods and vehicles moving across the customs borders of Uzbekistan and the EAEU.

“We are confident that cross-border data exchange will enhance the efficiency of customs control, reduce delays, and facilitate the integration of our transport systems into Eurasian corridors”, - Head of our State emphasized.

President of Uzbekistan also focused on the priorities of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union.

In particular, he called for the gradual elimination of bilateral trade barriers and emphasized the need to intensify coordination between CIS and EAEU institutions to align approaches to technical regulation and sanitary and phytosanitary standards. In this context, Leader of Uzbekistan proposed developing a roadmap to eliminate excessive procedures and harmonize requirements.

To promptly address issues related to differences in technical regulations, certificatio and customs administration, it was proposed to establish a joint Uzbekistan – EAEU Coordination Group on tariff and non-tariff barriers.

To expand industrial cooperation, Head of our State proposed jointly developing a list of projects in mechanical engineering, energy, the agro-industrial complex, the chemical industry and other sectors.

In connection with Uzbekistan’s accession to the Eurasian Development Bank, it was proposed to jointly identify strategic areas of partnership and develop a roadmap covering priority infrastructure and green projects as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking about the development of cooperation in the field of digital technologies, President of Uzbekistan emphasized that a key priority is the digitalization of customs administration and the transition to a “seamless” model of freight transportation.

“We propose preparing, together with the EEC, a roadmap for integrating digital platforms, including e-commerce and digital labeling”, - President of Uzbekistan noted.

Uzbekistan is interested in joining the EAEU’s technological platforms, primarily in biomedicine, new materials, agrotechnologies, energy and robotics.

To stimulate tourism exchanges and ensure the integration of tourism products, Head of our State expressed readiness to participate in developing an integrated information resource for tourism.

Concluding his address, Leader of Uzbekistan reaffirmed the country’s firm commitment to expanding a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership with the Eurasian Economic Union.