BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 13. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan signed investment and trade agreements for a total of $451 million as a result of the first Uzbek-Turkmen interregional forum held in Bukhara, Trend reports via the Uzbek Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.
At the event, the delegations of the two countries were headed from the Uzbek side by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, and from the Turkmen side - Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Batyr Atdaev.
The delegations included heads of ministries, departments, industry associations, commercial banks, chambers of commerce and industry, heads of local administrations and representatives of business circles from various regions of the two countries.
The heads of delegations stressed that the organization of regular mutual visits of leaders and business missions of the regions of the two countries will be arranged. In addition, it was announced that permanent working groups would be created between the regions, the task of which would be to develop new areas of cooperation, develop and coordinate promising projects, and interact in order to resolve all issues related to their implementation.
The forum participants focused on the most promising areas in terms of investment, industrial and trade cooperation: agriculture, automotive, chemical, textile, leather and footwear and electrical industries.
In the context of the development of interregional relations, the importance of the accelerated launch of border trade zones, the opening of trading houses and the implementation of joint projects aimed at creating high-tech industries was especially emphasized.
At the end of the speeches, the heads of delegations expressed their commitment to active interaction to strengthen direct contacts between the regions of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, implement joint projects and search for new points of growth for interregional cooperation.