BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 24. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has proposed to work out a concept of SPECA program's development, Trend reports.
He spoke at the summit of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in Baku.
"I propose to work out a concept of SPECA's development jointly with UNECE and ESCAP," he said.
Mirziyoyev noted that Uzbekistan is a supporter of turning SPECA into an open and even more effective regional platform for expanding economic cooperation.
"The time has come for a cardinal increase in the effectiveness of working groups on the main directions of partnership and strengthening the institutional framework of SPECA," he emphasized.
He also expressed support for the establishment of the SPECA Trust Fund, and noted that it is important start practical work next year.
"This is primarily about introducing the world's best practices and experience in eliminating existing barriers and harmonizing measures of technical regulation of export-import operations," he said.
Moreover, Mirziyoyev mentioned that it would be advisable to develop a Joint Action Plan to stimulate regional trade.
"Analysis shows that there are all possibilities to bring mutual trade turnover of our states from the current $52 billion to $100 billion by 2030, the share of industrial products in its structure - 70 percent," he added.
Baku is hosting a summit dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).
The UN SPECA program was established on March 26, 1998. At present, the SPECA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. SPECA provides a platform for sub-regional cooperation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that can best be achieved through regional cooperation.
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