"We are interested in cooperation in this area with our Kazakh colleagues, as well as with Gazprom," Kuchkarov said.

The minister emphasized that modernizing the gas transportation infrastructure would ensure more reliable and stable gas supplies for Uzbekistan. He noted that the growing demand for natural gas is driven by the country's rising population and its economic development.

Uzbekistan signed a gas purchase agreement with Gazprom in 2023, under which the company agreed to supply 9 million cubic meters of gas per day, amounting to 2.8 billion cubic meters annually.

During the first eight months of this year, Gazprom doubled its gas deliveries to Uzbekistan. According to Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, the supplies to Uzbekistan are being delivered via the "Central Asia – Center" pipeline at the maximum technically possible level. He added that the current deliveries match the winter levels from the previous year, when Uzbekistan experienced unusually harsh cold conditions.