The meeting took place as part of Mikhail Mishustin's working visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov
Abdulla Aripov: Mr Mishustin, let me welcome you, as well as all members of the Russian delegation, to the hospitable Uzbek land.
Today, cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia is actively developing based on openness, mutual trust, support and respect for each other's interests.
The key to such cooperation is the regular dialogue and trusting relationship between heads of our states – Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin. Primarily thanks to their joint efforts, Uzbekistani-Russian cooperation has reached an unprecedented level of strategic partnership and alliance in recent years.
During the meeting of heads of state in Samarkand this September, important agreements were reached in almost all areas of bilateral cooperation. The governments have been given specific, practical tasks to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.
We can note with satisfaction the strong growth in trade and economic relations. Thus, mutual trade has exceeded $7.5 billion since the beginning of the year. The average growth rate of mutual trade remains at 30 percent. By the end of this year, this figure may approach, as you have already said, Mr Mishustin, $10 billion. Currently, about 3,000 enterprises with Russian capital are operating in Uzbekistan. We are confident that in the current difficult conditions, our economic partnership can develop based on complementarity and effective cooperation.
We consider the Innoprom fair an important platform for establishing new business contacts and developing industrial cooperation, as was already mentioned today.
Mikhail Mishustin's meeting with Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov
We are also interested in building up Uzbekistani-Russian cooperation in the transport, logistics and transit sectors. The priority here may be the creation of alternative international transport transit corridors.
The strengthening of interregional ties, which give a new impetus to business contacts and open up promising areas for fruitful partnership, is taking on great significance.
Relations are growing stronger in the scientific, educational, cultural and humanitarian spheres. There is also great potential in the tourism sector.
Thus, today we have a good opportunity to coordinate, once again discuss in detail the most pressing issues on the bilateral agenda, and outline plans for further strengthening and expanding our interaction.
I am sure that we will constructively discuss all current issues of bilateral cooperation and find new growth points for further expanding and strengthening the strategic partnership between our countries.
Mikhail Mishustin: Dear Mr Aripov, I would like to greet you heartily, once again. This is my first visit to Uzbekistan as Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and I would like to thank you and all our Uzbekistani friends for the warm welcome and hospitality, for this wonderfully organised business forum. And of course, I want to ask you to convey the best wishes from President of Russia Vladimir Putin to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. And from me personally.
Russia sincerely values our neighbourly, partner and allied relations with Uzbekistan. They are based on the historical traditions of friendship and mutual respect between our fraternal peoples.
This year we are marking the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between our countries. And we want to fill our interaction with new content. A solid foundation for this is provided by the Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Uzbekistan signed by our presidents on September 15 here in Samarkand. You, Mr Aripov, and I coordinate the joint work on implementing the agreements of our presidents at the government level.
It is important that, despite the difficult situation in world trade, our trade and economic cooperation is constantly growing stronger, developing and covering new areas. Based on last year’s performance (I talked about this at the forum today), Russia has become Uzbekistan's main trading partner, just ahead of China. Our mutual trade grew by 17 percent to almost $7 billion. And in January through October, we have already recorded an increase of more than 30 percent. It is already up to $6.9 billion. That is, we have a record for the first 10 months of the year.
I really hope, as you have said, and you and I must definitely fulfil this – to bring our trade and economic ties to $10 billion – as our presidents instructed us to do.
You, Mr Aripov, and I just visited the business forum, which is attended by several hundred representatives of leading Russian companies and small and medium-sized businesses, as well as representatives of Uzbekistani business.
I suggest making this forum an annual event, as we discussed. I think this initiative would be very useful for expanding our cooperation. The establishment of business contacts and new operational ties would definitely contribute to a growth in trade and to attracting mutual investment.
We also attach particular importance to interregional cooperation. Eighty Russian regions are actively working with Uzbekistan, implementing 54 joint projects worth more than $1 billion. We will support regional initiatives at the governmental level.
We welcome the expansion of Uzbekistan's participation in Eurasian integration. Ambitious collaboration has been carried out in a short period of time since Uzbekistan obtained observer status. In a number of areas, Uzbekistan already acts as an equal partner with the member states of the union.
We believe that participation in Eurasian integration will provide favourable conditions for the economic development of Uzbekistan and, most importantly, improve the welfare of the people of Uzbekistan while expanding business and investment activity.
We are grateful to the leadership of Uzbekistan for their attentive attitude to the Russian language. We actively promote joint projects to improve the quality of Russian language classes in schools with the participation of Russian specialists based on modern technologies.
We have a big agenda. Mr Aripov, we are ready to discuss all issues.
