A new model is needed for the development of economic partnership among Central Asian countries.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made this statement in his speech at the VI Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State in Astana, Trend reported on Friday.
“We need new impulses for a long-term perspective, a new model of developing economic partnership. Our countries are natural trading partners and national economies complement each other. At the same time, analyses show that today intra-regional trade accounts for an insignificant share in the total trade turnover of our countries. There are still obstacles to the creation of a full-fledged free trade zone in Central Asia. With the participation of international experts, we have analysed and identified priority measures that will make it possible to achieve a twofold increase in mutual trade in the next five years,” Mirziyoyev said.
Mirziyoyev added that these are more than five hundred commodity items.
“First of all, we are talking about the following measures: elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers, mutual recognition of certificates of conformity and unification of regulations, digitalisation of customs and phytosanitary procedures, consideration of mutual access to public procurement. Our strategic goal should be the creation of the Single Regional Market in the long term,” he said.
To address all these issues, the President of Uzbekistan proposed the establishment of an Economic Council with regular meetings at the level of deputy prime ministers.
“We are ready to host the first such meeting in Tashkent next year, within the framework of which we will organise the Forum of Regions and the Central Asian Business Partnership Week with sectoral conferences, an exhibition of industrial potential, presentations of export opportunities,” he said.
