Shavkat Mirziyoyev attends EAEU meeting in St. Petersburg

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev today, December 21, took part in the regular meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg as the head of an observer state.

The meeting, chaired by President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The leaders of the EAEU observer states — President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel and President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian — addressed the participants via video message. Indonesia was represented at the event by Minister of Trade Budi Santoso as an invited guest.

The agenda included issues related to further expanding multilateral trade and economic cooperation, supporting industrial cooperation projects, developing transport infrastructure, and implementing joint programs in priority areas of cooperation.

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized that expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with EAEU countries remains one of the key priorities of the country’s foreign economic policy.

Over the past four years of cooperation as an observer state, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with EAEU member states has nearly doubled, approaching $20 billion.

A cooperation plan with the Eurasian Economic Commission through 2026, covering nearly 40 measures across trade, industry, the financial system, agriculture, transport, and other sectors, is being implemented in a systematic manner. It is planned to hold the fifth meeting of the joint Working Group in Tashkent next year.

Uzbekistan is also actively participating in a number of EAEU sectoral programs in the areas of trade and cargo digitalization, the introduction of e-commerce, and efforts to combat climate change.

Within the framework of the current meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, a decision was made to launch negotiations on concluding an agreement between Uzbekistan and the EAEU on the exchange of information regarding goods and vehicles crossing customs borders.

“We are confident that cross-border data exchange will help increase the efficiency of customs control, reduce delays, and integrate our transport systems into Eurasian corridors,” the Uzbek leader said.

The President of Uzbekistan also outlined key priority areas for mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union.

In particular, he stressed the importance of gradually eliminating trade barriers in mutual trade. He noted the need to strengthen coordination between CIS and EAEU institutions to harmonize approaches to technical regulation, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary standards. In this context, the Uzbek leader proposed developing a roadmap to eliminate excessive procedures and unify requirements.

He also put forward a proposal to establish a joint Uzbekistan–EAEU Coordinating Group on tariff and non-tariff barriers to ensure the prompt resolution of issues related to differences in technical regulation, certification, and customs administration.

To further expand industrial cooperation, Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed jointly compiling a list of projects in machine building, energy, the agro-industrial sector, chemicals, and other industries.

In connection with Uzbekistan’s accession to the Eurasian Development Bank, an initiative was announced to jointly define strategic areas of cooperation and develop a roadmap covering priority infrastructure and green projects, as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking on the development of cooperation in digital technologies, the President of Uzbekistan noted that digitalizing customs administration and transitioning to a seamless cargo transportation model are key priorities.

“We propose jointly preparing a roadmap with the Eurasian Economic Commission to harmonize digital platforms, including e-commerce and digital labeling,” the President said.

Uzbekistan has expressed interest in joining the EAEU’s technological platforms, particularly in the fields of biomedicine, new materials, agrotechnologies, energy, and robotics.

To stimulate tourism exchanges and ensure greater connectivity between tourism products, the head of state also expressed Uzbekistan’s readiness to join efforts to create an integrated information resource in the tourism sector.

In conclusion, Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s firm commitment to expanding comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union.