Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan discussed increasing trade turnover and cooperation

The tenth meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan was held in the city of Cholpon-Ata, Issyk-Kul region on August 16, the correspondent of “Gazeta.uz” reports.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers – Head of the Administration of the President of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov.

The government delegations of the two countries discussed issues of cooperation in the trade, economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian spheres, the press service of the government of Kyrgyzstan said.

The volume of mutual trade is steadily growing every year. In the first five months of 2023, the volume of trade increased by 13.3%, amounting to $215.8 million, the report says.

The parties noted that there is a potential to bring this figure up to $2 billion, the press service of the government of Uzbekistan said. Such plans have been reported before.

According to the Statistics Agency under the President of Uzbekistan, trade between the two countries amounted to $1.26 billion in 2022, compared to $953.6 million a year earlier.

The meeting participants discussed issues of industrial cooperation with the participation of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz Development Fund, cooperation in the fields of energy, water management, transport and logistics, tourism and sports.

As part of the Days of Culture of Kyrgyzstan in Uzbekistan in November, it is planned to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the outstanding writer Chingiz Aitmatov.