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Uzbekistan seen as potential gateway to Asia for Vitebsk Oblast
VITEBSK, 23 March (BelTA) –Representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Belarus met with Vitebsk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Subbotin in Vitebsk to discuss cooperation prospects in manufacturing, BelTA has learned.
According to Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Belarus Rakhmatulla Nazarov, in general, cooperation between the two countries has been developing very intensively over the past five years, and the trade has grown almost seven times. Close ties have been established at the regional level. “Vitebsk Oblast has established partnerships with Namangan Region and Khorezm Region. We see that interregional cooperation is very effective. Belarus’ northern region is also interested in establishing friendly relations and partnerships with Qashqadaryo Region, the southernmost region of our country. I think that in the near future these plans will come true and Vitebsk Oblast will have another partner in Uzbekistan,” the diplomat said.
In 2021, the trade of Vitebsk Oblast with Uzbekistan amounted to $12.6 million, the exports were estimated at $9.9 million, imports at $2.7 million. The Asian country purchased Belarusian medicines (almost 50% of all imports from Belarus), cattle meat (14.5%), milk powder, whey powder, butter, cheese (4.1%), polyethylene (3.2%), as well as plastic products, fiberglass, fiber optic cable, MDF boards, etc. Vitebsk Oblast purchased Uzbekistan’s cotton yarn and fabrics (more than 50% of all imports from Uzbekistan), fruit, vegetables, and dried fruit.
“Our economies do not compete, they complement each other. We grow cotton, which we plan to supply at a good price to Belarus. Negotiations are currently underway between Bellegprom and Uztextileprom on industrial cooperation and the creation of joint Uzbekistan-Belarus production facilities in our country. A joint venture of the Marko leather and footwear holding company is off to a good start in our country. In general, with its 35 million strong population Uzbekistan is a promising market for enterprises of Vitebsk Oblast.
Since 2020, Vitebsk Oblast has been negotiating a project to set up a pharmaceutical enterprise jointly with BelVitunipharm in Uzbekistan, which initially will be engaged in sales and then will start the production. In December 2021, the Belarusian manufacturer of veterinary drugs opened a representative office in Tashkent. A call center is being set up to advise specialists of agricultural organizations on the use of these drugs.
Vitebsk Oblast is looking to expand interregional cooperation with Uzbekistan. "The Uzbek delegation quickly responded to a call for a direct dialogue with the regional administration. First of all, we need to understand the rules by which our enterprises will work, at least on the example of Marko, in Uzbekistan. If the experience is positive, then Marko may be followed by Belwest. Of course, businesses will make decisions by themselves but we must see for ourselves how the entire scheme of relations, from settlements to the organization of production, will work. The second issue for discussion is the replacement of fruit and vegetable imports from European countries: we will consider the range, quality and take into account the price factor. The third point of the negotiations is about meat and dairy products. It is important for us that we have enough capacities that Uzbekistan requests, and we can also offer them participation, including financial, in the production of such products. Another set of issues is about the industrial sector. Industry in Uzbekistan has been developing dynamically. The country has engineering, energy, chemical and gas industries. Vitebsk Oblast has the competencies in these industries, and we can offer Uzbek enterprises our expertise and can help train their specialists. Uzbekistan offers preferences to new manufacturers similar to those granted to free economic zones and they do not have a territorial requirement, which is very convenient,” Konstantin Cherny, First Deputy Chairman of the Economy Committee of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee said when speaking about the prospects for cooperation.
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