At the conclusion of the first meeting of the Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan Council of Provincial Leaders, held in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the two countries signed a series of memoranda on interprovincial cooperation along with commercial agreements worth a combined total of more than 80 billion tenge (nearly $171 million).
The meeting was attended by government delegations led by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, as well as the leaders of the two countries' border provinces and more than 300 entrepreneurs.
Discussions at the event focused on expanding cooperation in industrial collaboration, agriculture, transport and logistics, trade, and investment. According to the Kazakh government, the new agreements will strengthen direct ties between the provinces and help accelerate joint projects.
Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov noted that the two countries are currently implementing 80 industrial projects worth a combined $1.8 billion, some of which have already been launched, while another 59 new investment initiatives worth $1.5 billion are being developed.
He stressed that direct cooperation between the provinces plays an important role in further expanding trade and investment ties.
"I am confident that the Council's work will make a worthy contribution to reaching the target set by our leaders of state — bringing mutual trade turnover up to $10 billion," Bektenov said.
Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, for his part, emphasized that Kazakhstan is not only a close neighbor for Uzbekistan but a trusted strategic partner and ally.
"InterProvincial partnership has become one of the priority areas of our cooperation. That is precisely why our leaders of state decided to establish the Council of Provincial Leaders. I am fully confident that direct dialogue between the provinces will give a powerful boost to further strengthening Uzbek-Kazakh relations," Aripov said.
The two sides also paid special attention to developing transport corridors. In particular, they discussed increasing freight volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, as well as the North–South and Trans-Afghan corridors. Last year, 8 million tons of cargo passed through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, while in the first half of this year container shipments grew by 5%, surpassing 50,000 TEU.
Kazakhstan's Mangystau, Aktobe, Kyzylorda, and Turkistan provinces border Uzbekistan's Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as its Jizzakh, Navoi, Syrdarya, and Tashkent provinces. The total length of the border between the two countries is nearly 2,300 kilometers.
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