Mikhail Mushustin spoke at a plenary meeting of the forum.
Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov visit the Made in Uzbekistan national trade fair in Samarkand on the sidelines of the forum
Mikhail Mishustin visits the Made in Uzbekistan national trade fair in Samarkand. With Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations – Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Jamshid Khodjayev
Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov visit the Made in Uzbekistan national trade fair in Samarkand. With Denis Manturov and Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations – Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Jamshid Khodjayev
Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov visit the Made in Uzbekistan national trade fair in Samarkand
Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov visit the Made in Uzbekistan national trade fair in Samarkand on the sidelines of the forum
The Russia-Uzbekistan Business Forum is held to expand trade, economic and industrial cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan. During the event, representatives of the two countries’ business communities and regional organisations will discuss trade and economic cooperation, transport and logistics, industrial projects and the development of industrial clusters.
The Russian delegation at the forum will comprise representatives of over 150 companies, organisations, trade unions and associations, as well as regional authorities.
Remarks by Mikhail Mishustin:
Mikhail Mishustin’s remarks at the Russia-Uzbekistan Business Forum
Dear Mr Aripov, dear friends, respected colleagues,
I am happy to welcome all forum participants and guests.
First of all, I would like to thank our Uzbek partners for such a timely and very useful initiative and for inviting the representatives of the business communities of our countries for a dialogue. It is also special that this year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary (as you said, Mr Aripov) of diplomatic relations between Russia and Uzbekistan.
I am confident that our meeting today and the mutual desire of the businesspeople from our countries to jointly seek new solutions and additional points of growth will help expand mutually beneficial forms of cooperation.
I would like to repeat my words to the organisers of our forum – yesterday we saw some absolutely delightful items – works of art. Thank you very much!
The world economy and global markets are in a state of turbulence. As President of Russia Vladimir Putin said, the world has entered a period of transformation, at a fundamental level.
Many of the trade, production and logistics chains previously affected by the coronavirus pandemic are facing new challenges now. Moreover, key business concepts such as business reputation, inviolability of property, obligatory force of contracts and trust in global currencies have been undermined by the Western countries. In this situation, it is possible to effectively face existing and future challenges together.
Our country remains open to cooperation with friendly states, to those who understand the advantages of cooperation with Russia, a country close in geography, culture and spiritual values, based on decades of experience. We have everything we need to build up multifaceted cooperation in trade and economic projects and investment with our closest neighbours.
Uzbekistan is certainly among these. We are building relations on principles of equality, mutual respect and consideration for each other's interests.
Russia is one of Uzbekistan's leading trade partners. Following last year's results, we have outpaced China and are first in the republic’s foreign trade with a share of about 18 percent. We have good dynamics this year as well.
It is important to maintain these positive trends. To do this, we need to launch new and promising projects in direct industrial cooperation, including in mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, transport infrastructure and agriculture. Just today, Mr Aripov, you showed examples of this cooperation at the exhibition. Significant investment and technical resources are being channelled here.
Expansion of logistics connections, the creation and improvement of transiting and transport corridors will make a significant contribution to modernising economic sectors and certainly, naturally, will raise business competitiveness.
In April this year, Uzbekistan successfully held INNOPROM, the Central Asia International Industrial Trade Fair. It was organized with assistance from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and was a good example of practical cooperation between our countries.
The business programme was attended by about 700 manufacturing companies and business delegations from 20 countries. More than 50 investment agreements valued at some $1.35 billion were signed at the end of the fair. I am confident that the potential for cooperation is much greater. We need to continue such initiatives.
Russian business is widely represented in Uzbekistan. About 2,700 companies with Russian capital are operating here, and they hold a prominent place in a variety of sectors.
Russian development-related companies are actively involved in the implementation of joint projects. Financial support is provided for sending engineering, metallurgy, chemicals, agriculture, and construction materials to the republic.
The biggest initiatives are in the fuel and energy sector. We are talking about geological exploration and development of promising hydrocarbon deposits, as well as the Kandym gas processing complex, which has been put into operation.
Rostec State Corporation is implementing a number of projects in the automotive, pharmaceutical, water and urban utilities sectors. VympelCom holds a leading position in the field of communications. So the spheres of interest of Russian business are very diverse, and we have a mutual desire to develop business cooperation.
For further cooperation, we believe it is necessary to deepen Uzbekistan's ties with the Eurasian Economic Union. In terms of market capacity, industrial and agricultural potential, and the mutual integration of our economies, the union is among the leading regional integration associations. It includes about 190 million consumers.
The decision to grant Uzbekistan observer status has opened new horizons for further economic growth for our friends. Full EAEU membership would give a powerful impetus to the development of direct cooperation in new areas of interaction.
And one more significant point. In the Eurasian Economic Union, we pay serious attention to the safety and quality of products. To this end we set up a unified system of technical regulation. There is nothing else like it in international practice in terms of its scope and speed of implementation.
We are interested in ensuring that Uzbek products meet high Eurasian standards. This is important for the implementation of the four fundamental freedoms: the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour.
Russia supports Uzbekistan in harmonising its technical regulations with union’s standards. We are providing advice, documentation and equipment for direct confirmation of product conformity, accreditation of testing laboratories, and ensuring the uniformity of measurements. We will continue this work, including by helping to re-equip the laboratories. We have also agreed on this during the forum.
Friends,
It is obvious that Russian-Uzbek cooperation has great potential. Our heads of state – Vladimir Putin and Shavkat Mirziyoyev – have set a goal to increase trade to $10 billion. I believe that business ideas, mutually beneficial deals and projects will help us achieve this ambitious goal. The Governments of Russia and Uzbekistan will provide maximum support for the initiatives of business circles and together we will create favourable conditions for joint business activities.
Once again, I would like to wish all forum participants a constructive discussion and new, promising agreements. And of course, we will take all of this into account in the work of our governments.
