As reported earlier, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev arrived in our country on 14 April with a working visit at the invitation of President Islam Karimov.
The main events of the visit took place on 15 April at the Kuksaroy residence.
Islam Karimov and Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed the state and prospects of developing Uzbek-Kazakh relations in different areas, topical regional and international issues.
The President of our country, greeting the President of Kazakhstan, noted that this visit is a logical extension of meetings at the highest level.
– We are always glad to see You in Uzbekistan. Uzbek and Kazakh nations since ancient times were good neighbours and friends. Today the cooperation between our countries has been developing based on these principles. In conditions of the current fast-changing and all the more aggravating international circumstances, this friendship and mutual understanding has a particular significance. Your visit is a favorable condition for discussing a number of issues of mutual interest, said Islam Karimov.
The President of Kazakhstan expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan for invitation and highlighted that cooperation between our states has been steadily developing in all spheres.
– As you rightly underlined, our nations since ancient times live side by side, in peace and concord. In the years of independence we have strengthened these relations even more. Cooperation of our countries, as the leading states in Central Asia, has a significant importance for the whole region. We are equally interested in further strengthening and steady development of bilateral interactions, said Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The relations between our countries has been consistently developing based on the Agreement on eternal friendship between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed in 1998 and the Agreement on strategic partnership between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed in 2013 in Tashkent.
The cooperation, based on the principles of mutual respect, trust and interest, has been steadily developing on interstate, intergovernmental, and inter-agency levels. The Parliaments of our countries established practical dialogue. Consultations between the Ministries of foreign affairs take place regularly.
Our countries fruitfully interact within the frameworks of such international structures, as the UN, SCO, CIS, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea. The positions of the parties on many issues of global and regional significance are similar or close.
The head of two states, exchanging views on the situation in Afghanistan, noted that the parties are equally interested in ensuring peace and stability in this country, rebuilding of its economy. It was underlined that it’s impossible to ensure peace in Afghanistan via military means, the only right solution is conducting political negotiations under the auspices of the UN and achieving consensus among conflicting parties.
The Presidents noted that water resources of transboundary rivers of Central Asia is a common heritage and good of the nations and the stability and welfare of the whole regions is mostly dependent on their rational and fair use. When considering the issues of erecting hydrotechnical constructions on transboundary rivers, it is necessary to strictly adhere to universally adopted norms of international water law, fixed in the UN conventions and other international documents.
It was underlined that the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea is an important platform for implementing projects and programs, directed towards environmental rehabilitation and solving socio-economic problems of the Aral Sea region.
During the negotiations a particular attentions was paid the issues of further developing trade-economic, investment and cultural cooperation.
Kazakhstan is one of the main partners of our country in the trade-economic sphere. Uzbekistan exports fruits and vegetables, transport means, mineral fertilizers, construction materials and other various goods and services to Kazakhstan. From Kazakhstan ferrous and non-ferrous metals, oil and fat products are imported to our country.
Dynamic growth of the volumes of mutual trade between our countries is demonstrated by last year’s indicators of over 3 bln. US dolalrs.
151 enterprises, established in partnership with our businessman operate in Kazakhstan. There are 206 enterprises in our country, established partnership with businesspeople from Kazakhstan, including 171 joint ventures.
The activity of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan serves to steadily develop interactions. The 15th session of this commission took place on 10-11 March this year in Astana.
The results of prospective projects, implemented in the areas of trade, investments, transport, communications, customs, water, energy and innovations in accordance with the Strategy on economic cooperation for 2007-2016 gives additional impetus to developing our ties.
Transport communications spheres is one of the priority directions of development of the partnership, Automobile and rail roads of our countries are mutually integrated. This important communications network also carries out transit functions for the third countries.
During the negotiations it was noted that involvement of unutilized resources of Uzbek-Kazakh cooperation serves to further develop bilateral relations. The issues of further increasing trade turnover in spite of the continuing world financial-economic crisis, and maintaining its dynamics, diversification of trade-economic ties, broadening the list of exported and imported goods and services.
It was underlined that increasing the number of joint ventures, developing contacts of business circles serve the interests of both countries.
During the meeting a particular attention was paid to the issues of widening ties in a social sphere.
The negotiations, that took place in the environment of transparency and mutual cooperation determined prospects of further developing cooperation between our countries.
Anvar Samadov, UzA
