President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia held talks in a narrow format and with the participation of official delegations.

The head of state noted that this state visit is the first in over two decades and is of particular importance for elevating Uzbek-Georgian relations to a new qualitative level.

Discussions covered expansion of practical cooperation in political, trade-economic, investment, transport-transit, tourism, and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

Bilateral trade reached $270 million last year and exceeded $100 million since the start of this year. The sides agreed to adopt a separate “roadmap” to increase this figure to $1 billion in the coming years.

Issues of strengthening transport-transit interaction and creating favorable conditions for using the ports of Poti and Batumi were discussed. Plans to establish a logistics hub with an industrial zone and showroom for Uzbek products were supported.

The president welcomed the launch of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway corridor and proposed studying its integration with the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway line.

Industrial cooperation was identified as a separate priority. A Cooperation Program until 2027 was signed. Agreements were reached on new projects in agriculture, electrical engineering, energy, pharmaceuticals, food and light industry, construction materials, digitalization, IT, digital banking, and tourism. A joint Investment Fund was proposed.

Cultural-humanitarian ties are expanding actively. In March, Days of Georgian Culture were held in Tashkent. President Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude for naming a park in Tbilisi after Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi.

Joint educational and tourism forums are planned in Uzbekistan this year. A decision was made to establish an Uzbek embassy in Georgia.

Following the talks, a joint “roadmap” will be prepared to implement the decisions made.

Source: kun.uz