Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan: together for the prosperity of Central Asia

From August 7 to 9, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Kazakhstan on a state visit and participate in the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the summit in the "Central Asia + Japan" format, which will be held in Astana. This visit will be another important step in strengthening the two countries' allied relations, friendship, and good neighborliness.

In recent years, cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has reached an unprecedented level, demonstrating a prime example of constructive and mutually beneficial partnership on bilateral and multilateral bases. The leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are committed to consolidating the region and coordinating efforts within the framework of Consultative Meetings and "Central Asia plus" platforms, which are becoming an increasingly sought-after mechanism for international cooperation, supporting each other on global and regional policy issues.

Fruitful interaction occurs within international and regional organizations, such as the UN, SCO, CIS, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Turkic States Organization, International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and other unions. Inter-parliamentary ties and inter-agency cooperation are also characterized by active dialogue, regular exchange of visits, and new content. The contractual and legal framework for bilateral cooperation has been strengthened.

Since 1997, a Joint Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation has been in operation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and in 2018, a mechanism for bilateral interaction—the Forum of Interregional Cooperation—was launched. Kazakhstan continues to be one of Uzbekistan's largest foreign trade partners, accounting for 9.3% of the country's total foreign trade volume. Mutual trade volumes are steadily increasing, and in 2023, this figure reached 4.4 billion USD. The number of Kazakhstani enterprises in Uzbekistan has also increased, exceeding 1,100 today. In turn, over 1,400 enterprises with Uzbek capital operate in Kazakhstan.

In the field of transport communications, the road and rail networks of our countries are being integrated, and this important communication network also serves as a transit function for third countries. In 2023, the volume of international transportation by rail was 23.46 million tons, by road 2.1 million tons, and by air 90,000 tons.

Cooperative ties are growing in the fields of investment, industry, agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, construction, and other areas. To give additional impetus to these efforts, active implementation of the project to build the International Center for Industrial Cooperation is underway. By developing cooperation in all areas, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as good neighbors, make a significant contribution to ensuring peace and prosperity throughout the Central Asian region.

The strong foundation of friendship between the peoples of the two countries is their historical, spiritual, and cultural closeness, which contributes to the fruitful development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation at the present stage. For representatives of the Kazakh nationality in our country, all conditions have been created to preserve their native language. At the Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami, Karakalpak State University, Gulistan State University, and in the Nukus, Jizzakh, and Navoi State Pedagogical Institutes, faculties for training in the Kazakh language and departments of Kazakh language and literature have been established.

Based on the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in higher and postgraduate education signed on December 22, 2022, as well as over 280 cooperation documents signed between the universities of the two countries, academic exchange is actively developing, joint educational programs and research projects are being implemented, and scientific-practical conferences and seminars are held. Every year, Kazakhstan's universities hold educational fairs—Kazakhstan Education Days—in Uzbekistan.

Mutual cultural and educational events, such as Days of Culture, film screenings, and sports competitions, are regularly held. Creative groups from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan participate in international competitions, festivals, fairs, and exhibitions held in both countries. In 2022, events dedicated to the life and works of the great son of the Kazakh people, poet and thinker Abai Kunanbayev, were held throughout Uzbekistan. During the state visit at the highest level to Uzbekistan in December 2022, the heads of the two countries jointly reviewed the exhibition dedicated to the legacy of the great Kazakh poet and thinker.

Currently, active work is underway to create a unified tourist brand and launch tourist clusters. Given the geographical proximity of the two countries, as well as the presence of a vast historical and cultural heritage and tourist potential, experts believe that this approach will contribute to increasing the flow of tourists to Central Asia and, consequently, the popularization of its culture.

As noted above, during the state visit, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will also participate in another Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. It is important to note that this mechanism of regional cooperation was established at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Within the forums, the heads of Central Asian states put forward important initiatives for the further development of regional trade, transport, and transit potential, industrial cooperation, water-energy nexus, adaptation to climate change, as well as strengthening security, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and other areas.

Since the inception of this platform, five fruitful summits have taken place, giving new dynamics to the development of multilateral cooperation in the region. Today, it is recognized worldwide that a favorable political atmosphere has been created in the region, and Central Asia is becoming a prosperous, stable, and attractive region for investment and cooperation.

At the fourth summit held in Kyrgyzstan in 2022, the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st Century was signed for the first time in the history of the region. The favorable environment contributes to the growth of mutual trade and investment. From 2016 to 2023, Uzbekistan's trade turnover with Central Asian countries grew almost threefold—from 2.5 billion USD to 7.2 billion USD.

Overall, today, broad opportunities are being created for deepening and expanding regional cooperation, bringing it to a qualitatively new level. A new page has truly opened for the Central Asian states in the centuries-old chronicle of friendship, good neighborliness, mutual support, and cooperation.

In this context, the upcoming bilateral and regional summits in Astana are expected to reaffirm the parties' commitment to strengthening fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation and enhancing the international image of the Central Asian region, determining priority areas for future interaction.

IA "Dunyo"