Following President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to Tbilisi, Uzbekistan and Georgia have agreed to implement 70 trade and investment projects with a total value of nearly $1 billion. This was announced by Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov in an interview with Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
The minister outlined five key areas of cooperation. The first is logistics. According to him, Georgia is a “very important transport hub” for Uzbekistan, through which the country can more actively export its products to Western markets. “For this purpose, a trade-logistics and production center is being established in the Poti free economic zone. There will be warehouses for Uzbek products. In addition, there will be an exhibition area. And a production zone will also be organized,” he said.
Kudratov noted that Uzbek entrepreneurs will be able to carry out the final stages of production of textile products, food, household appliances and other goods in this area. After that, the products will be exported through Georgia and the Poti zone to third countries.
The ministry separately reported that on July 3-4, Kudratov, together with Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov, visited the ports of Anaklia, Poti and Batumi, as well as the Poti free industrial zone. During the visit, special attention was paid to expanding Uzbekistan's export-import operations through the Georgian route.
In Anaklia, opportunities for Uzbekistan's participation in the project to build Georgia's largest deep-sea port were considered. Upon completion, the port will be able to accommodate all types of vessels and become an important link in international transport routes, including within the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan corridor.
In Poti, prospects for cooperation on placing warehouse and terminal infrastructure for Uzbekistan's export-import cargo were discussed. Also, during a visit to the port of Batumi, cooperation issues were considered, as this port has great potential for developing cargo transportation along the Black Sea route.
Following the visit, promising areas for further cooperation were identified. It is planned to establish a consortium with the participation of Uzbek companies and develop relevant cooperation agreements, the ministry said.
The second area is agriculture. According to the minister, a pilot project for growing olives and producing olive oil was implemented in the Surkhandarya region in cooperation with Georgian companies. “The result was good. It has been practically proven that olives can be grown in Surkhandarya conditions, and now this project will be expanded to 2,000 hectares,” he said.
Kudratov also called the production of feed for livestock and aquaculture one of the important projects. According to him, one of the large Georgian companies is proposing to establish a production hub in Uzbekistan for the Central Asian market. “These products will be supplied not only to the domestic market, but also exported to neighboring countries,” the minister said.
The third area is pharmaceuticals. According to Kudratov, Georgian companies are already supplying their products to Uzbekistan. Now the parties have agreed to establish production of these products in the country itself.
The fourth area is tourism. “Georgia has great experience in this area. We want to use this experience, and a number of Georgian companies are ready to implement projects for hotels, tourist complexes and infrastructure in Uzbekistan,” the minister said.
The fifth area is energy and electrical engineering. According to Kudratov, Georgia annually imports cables, transformers and other electrical products worth more than $1 billion. “Such products are also produced in Uzbekistan. Therefore, there are great opportunities for our entrepreneurs in this direction,” he emphasized.
A joint investment fund is planned to finance the projects. “Most importantly, we are systematically implementing mutual cooperation. In accordance with the program, we have identified clear agreements, clear directions covering all areas — trade, investment, transport,” Kudratov said.
It is worth recalling that during the visit, a joint declaration on strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Georgia was also signed. In addition, Mirziyoyev was awarded one of Georgia's highest state awards — the Order of the Golden Fleece. An agreement on cooperation in the exchange of information in the customs sphere was also signed, and agreements were reached on the exchange of experience and information in the areas of public financial management and budget process organization. The parties also agreed to open an Uzbek embassy in Georgia.
Source: www.gazeta.uz