Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus held talks in Minsk, agreeing on steps to increase mutual trade turnover to $2 billion.

The negotiations took place in a narrow format and with the participation of official delegations. At the start of the meeting, Mirziyoyev noted that Uzbek-Belarusian relations have reached a qualitatively new level in recent years.

According to official data, trade turnover between the two countries has nearly tripled over the past five years, reaching almost $1 billion by the end of last year. Since the beginning of this year, its volume has increased by another 30%. Currently, 360 joint ventures operate in both countries.

The leaders also discussed new cooperation projects in agriculture, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, light industry, furniture manufacturing, and other sectors. Separately, the sides expressed interest in exchanging experience in the field of peaceful nuclear energy and building related infrastructure.

In addition, Uzbekistan and Belarus agreed to hold joint tourism, medical, and educational forums before the end of the year. Shavkat Mirziyoyev also invited Lukashenko to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan.

Earlier, the official part of Mirziyoyev's visit to Belarus began in Minsk. A welcoming ceremony for the President of Uzbekistan was held at the Independence Palace, followed by high-level negotiations.

Source: podrobno.uz