Bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Belarus might amount to about $500 million in 2019, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiyev has told the ONT TV channel, BelTA reported.

“The two heads of state have set a task to grow bilateral trade. We hope that this year the trade will approximate $500 million,” Elyor Ganiyev said.

In his words, Uzbekistan sees great prospects in bilateral cooperation, including in the manufacturing industry. “This is one of the most interesting areas. We are working from two sides. I believe that we have great opportunities here,” the vice-premier said.

Belarusian Deputy Premier Vladimir Dvornik stated that the parties will do everything to keep bilateral trade on the growth track.

Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Belarus were established on 21 January 1993. In 2018 bilateral trade amounted to $157.4 million (up 20.2% over 2017). Belarusian merchandise export totaled $113.6 million (up 18.2%).

In January-May 2019 bilateral trade made up $89 million (up 14.6% year-on-year), with Belarusian merchandise export at $67.9 million (up 14.3%). In 2018 Belarus raised $2.2 million in investment from Uzbekistan (up 2.5 times over 2017), of them $2 million was direct investment (up 2.3 times). In Q1 2019 Belarus attracted $874,600 in investment from Uzbekistan (up 9%), including 869,900 in direct investment (up 20.6%).