President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the regular meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg, Russia as an observer on 26 December, the president’s press service said.
The meeting, chaired online by prime minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, gathered president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, president of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, president of Russia Vladimir Putin and Iran’s minister of industry, mines and trade Seyed Mohammad Atabak, also as an observer. President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel addressed the meeting via a video message.
The agenda included enhancing multilateral trade and economic cooperation, supporting industrial collaboration projects and implementing joint programs in priority areas.
President Mirziyoyev emphasized that Uzbekistan in recent years had established productive cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) across 22 areas as an observer. In 2024, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and EAEU countries grew by 11%.
In October, a new three-year cooperation plan with the Eurasian Economic Commission was adopted, comprising around 40 initiatives in trade, industry, finance, agriculture and transport.
Uzbekistan is actively participating in EAEU programs related to trade digitalization, e-commerce implementation and combating climate change.
Preparations are underway for the fourth session of the joint working group scheduled for March next year.
President Mirziyoyev advocated for the gradual removal of trade barriers and proposed addressing tariff and non-tariff restrictions between Uzbekistan and EAEU member states at an expert level.
He also expressed readiness to align Uzbekistan’s technical regulation systems with those of the EAEU through a practical action plan.
The head of Uzbekistan spoke in favor of the country’s participation in the agreement on a unified system of customs transit to be signed at the end of the event, as well as for the early introduction of electronic exchange of data on goods and vehicles moving across customs borders.
He expressed interest in tapping into the mechanisms and tools to support industrial cooperation and localization programs.
“To secure reliable financial sources for joint projects, we plan to complete procedures and join the Eurasian Development Bank in early 2025,” the president noted.
He also proposed to hold a meeting of the EAEU Business Council in Tashkent in April 2025 to foster stronger business ties.
Additionally, president of Uzbekistan highlighted the importance of collaboration in digital technologies and artificial intelligence, proposing the country’s connection to the EAEU Integrated Information System and the Digital Union project.
“To boost tourism, Uzbekistan plans to allow citizens of EAEU countries to enter using internal documents,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated.
In agriculture, he suggested preparing a cooperation program to facilitate mutual access to agricultural products, implement innovative agri-industrial projects and adopt scientific advancements.
