Uzbekistan and Belarus need to harmonize national laws governing trade, Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich said at the First Forum of Regions of Belarus and Uzbekistan in Minsk on 30 July, BelTA reported.

The speaker voiced a number of proposals to enhance bilateral cooperation. For example, Mikhail Myasnikovich urged to “harmonize the national trade laws in order to align the trade regimes and create a comfortable environment for business.”

“Currently the country conditions differ significantly from each other, which hampers the growth of mutual trade and investment. The parliaments and governments need to remove the existing barriers,” Myasnikovich stated.

According to the speaker, Belarus and Uzbekistan have very few big joint companies, and those that exist are facing difficulties due to tariff and nontariff regulations. “There is no need to dramatize the situation. These issues require joint attention of diplomats, MPs and, more importantly, parent companies. We are confident that we will find mutually beneficial solutions,” the chairman of the Council of the Republic said.

He also spoke in favor of more innovative projects between Belarus and Uzbekistan. “Without science, research, sci-tech and education programs it is impossible to achieve high competitive performance,” Mikhail Myasnikovich noted.