BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Uzbekistan is one of Kazakhstan's biggest trading partners with bilateral trade reaching $5 billion in 2022, said Kazakhstan's Prime Minister, Alikhan Smailov during his meeting with Uzbekistan's Prime Minister, Abdulla Aripov, ahead of the 20th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation in Tashkent, Trend reports via the Kazakh PM's office.
The two sides discussed a range of issues related to Kazakh-Uzbek cooperation, including joint efforts in trade, industrial cooperation, investment activities, energy, logistics, cross-border water usage, strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties, and more.
Smailov emphasized that bilateral trade with Uzbekistan reached the planned threshold of $5 billion in 2022.
"This was made possible thanks to our joint efforts. Now, in accordance with the goals set at the highest level, we must increase the volume of mutual trade to $10 billion in the medium term," he said.
He also noted the special role of the Kazakh-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission in addressing a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation.
For his part, Aripov indicated a high potential for further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
"Positive dynamics are observed in mutual trade. Significant projects are being implemented in many sectors of the economy. Uzbekistan is focused on further cooperation in trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, and water management, among other areas. In general, we are interested in even deeper relations with our fraternal Kazakhstan," said Aripov.